Special by Martha Christina

When the young squirrel
stood up on its hind legs
and immediately fell over
on its side, I thought: rabies.
The Animal Control Officer’s
line was busy, her message box,
full, so I hung up, and watched
from the window. It was easy
to distinguish it from others.

This squirrel worked hard to
balance on the old stump
spread with sunflower seeds.
It fell off, repeatedly, its right
rear leg, much shorter than
the other three, compromised.
But it could run away, and did.

If the squirrel’s story were mine
to create, not relate, it would
have been a story with a happy
ending, a metaphor for any
disadvantaged person or group.
Able to overcome hardship and
ignorance, able to convince those
who had been dismissive or hostile
that it was special in the very best
sense of the word.



Martha Christina has published two collections: Staying Found (Fleur-de-lis Press) and Against Detachment (Pecan Grove Press). Her work appears in earlier issues of Red Eft Review, and recently in Star 82 Review, Crab Orchard Review, and Tiny Seed Journal. Born and raised in Indiana, she now lives in Bristol, Rhode Island.