I snapped a photo of our wary chipmunk
standing by his burrow by the Bilco door.
He was, as usual, pensive. I see him now
and then, whipping past my window.
So, it was good of him to stand still long
enough for me to capture him deep in thought.
Years before, our Ghanian friend Nora saw
one and shivered. It looked like a snake to her.
Such a thought never occurred to me. Today
I examined him carefully and did not shiver.
If anything, I wondered if he might shiver
at the thought of beginning another day when
he might become the breakfast of a kestrel
or the lunch of Mistletoe, our neighbor’s cat.
