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The Squirrel-Faced Man

by Harrison Kim

Woke up to find I'm a man with a squirrel face.
Maybe I ate too many nuts.
Maybe I should not have climbed that tree.
Perhaps I stayed chattering too long
To my neighbors or just the mailman,
Telling tales and dashing back and forth.
Such a busy world and it's caught up with me.
You know, I always wanted to be a standout,
Like an astronaut or even a hockey star.
But now I can only be the mascot.
Maybe I should look on the bright side:
Advertise peanuts,
Panhandle in the park with all the other squirrels.
On the other hand, below my face I'm human,
So maybe I don't fit in at all,
Except in a more accepting and unknown universe.
Perhaps I'll be the creature who scolds,
Chatters and waves madly on street corners,
The squirrel-faced thing people remember
After they forget
Everything else
They saw that day.


Copyright © 2022 by Harrison Kim

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