Sharing Time
Reva Lachica Moore
“The Squirrel and the Hawk” by Reva Lachica Moore
(I was in front of my computer when Mary Grace alerted me about the Cooper Hawk that was on top of the fence. I grabbed my camera and took a video. I got these pictures from the video. Then I wrote this poem.)
The squirrel did not know that the birds had flown away.
Unable to climb the feeder, on the grass it had to stay.
The seeds that fall to the ground – finding them is easy,
With its paws – digging and searching came quite naturally.
Too busy finding seeds, the unsuspecting squirrel
Was unaware, was clueless that its life was in peril.
Because perched on the fence, a hungry hawk aimed to strike.
In just a mere second, the chase became “war-like.”
One strike after another, the squirrel was quick.
It outran its chaser, but the hawk was too slick.
Wherever the squirrel went, the pursuer was behind,
A relentless enemy, so powerful, so unkind.
The hawk would stop a bit with its head twisting about,
The squirrel was its main target, without a hint of doubt.
Each time the chase continued, the hawk’s wings went upward,
Its eyes looked demonic as it speeded forward.
The poor, helpless squirrel had no place to hide.
Up the plank it ran, but the place is still “ringside.”
Its opponent with a curved beak and razor-sharp claws,
Was up there waiting to give the squirrel more blows.
The squirrel retreated backwards, and then it froze.
It thought it had escaped, only to see the lethal claws,
It quickly jumped off and found another way out.
The hawk was outwitted, but it did not back out.
To the top of the thicket, the hawk landed – searching.
Where did the squirrel go? The hawk went-a-looking.
Not long after, the pursuer gave up and flew away.
It didn’t find its intended meal. It was not a good day.
But lo and behold, from the twisted vines on the fence,
The squirrel emerged, unscathed from the bad experience.
“Better luck next time, Mr. Hawk,” the squirrel seemed to say.
It wagged its tail and scratched its chin, for it was a good day.
I can compare the hawk and squirrel chase to that of man
So preoccupied with life, man forgets about the evil one
The cunning enemy lurks nearby, tirelessly waiting
Watching, scheming, wanting to catch the unsuspecting.
1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil
Walks about like a roaring lion (this time a hawk)
Seeking whom he may devour.”