A Squirrel Died

A squirrel died
I saw it through the picture window
Running, leaping, full of life
Making delicate footprints in the snow
Oblivious to the cold and wind

Then, suddenly
Something went terribly wrong
A misstep perhaps?
Streak of gray dropping to the ground
Limp form among the falling snow

I saw it twitch
It wasn't dead
Squirrels don't trip and fall
How silly of me
I went back to my mundane business

Washing dishes
Vacuuming floors
Dusting shelves
Hardening my arteries
But I had to look

It was getting dark
My new friend was still moving
as the snow buried
the exquisite form
Only the head and tail remained

But in that half lit glimpse
A sudden burst of wind fed snow
enveloped the creature in white
and then...oh my!
took it away in the night forever

I am very old now
and my eyes are dim
But when I looked through the window one last time
I saw the squirrel, and myself
Safe in the hands of God