im sitting in my favorite bookstore cafe drinking a too hot earl grey. on my way here, I took a short cut through the trees on campus and a found a dead squirrel laying on the ground. at first I though it was asleep, because of the way it was laying. it seemed peaceful, no open mouth, belly up, grotesque death like you would expect. I kicked a stick to tap it, afraid it would burst to life and bite me or something. but it didn't move. I tapped it with my foot and it was stiff, it was cold out, still some snow refusing to melt, so it could have froze. or maybe that's just what death does. at least it seemed like it died a natural death, as it had no wounds. and the way it was lying there made it seem as if it had just fallen asleep and not woken up. peace.
suddenly I imagine I am a squirrel. the campus squirrels aren't as afraid of people, but they never let you touch them. (except for the feral squirrel hangs around the quad and climbs peoples legs, but he is an anomaly) they are visible but distant, like me. im guess im a squirrel, scuttling up trees to avoid possible danger. disappearing at just the moment when you want to to look at them. dead on the ground at the base of an oak tree, you thing im sleeping. but I am a dead squirrel.
