sara Etgen-Baker Poet Light Verse

Notes About The Poem

poem written based upon this image--an online poetry class assignment

Autumn's Woodland Philosopher

A dapper squirrel in a top hat sat
upon a throne of porcelain white,
amber leaves descending around him
with all the ceremony of autumn.

In his small paws rested
a roll of toilet paper~
an object so ordinary
most creatures would never pause
to consider it.

Yet there he sat,
moonless-eyed and thoughtful,
turning it slightly,
pondering its mysteries.

Perhaps he wondered
why do humans create such things.

Perhaps he mistook it
for an oversized pale winter acorn
that had somehow forgotten
how to become a tree.

Or perhaps,
being wiser than most squirrels,
he had discovered
what humans often overlook:
that every object,
no matter how common,
contains a story.

The leaves understood.
They drifted downward
through shades of russet and gold,
surrendering themselves
to another season.

The squirrel nodded gravely.
The toilet paper remained unexplained.
The leaves continued falling.
And somewhere in the gathering dusk,
it seemed entirely possible
that wisdom begins
when one pauses long enough
to become curious
about the absurd.

What is philosophy,
after all,
but staring at an ordinary thing
until it becomes extraordinary.

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