The Indomitable Stumpy

Perhaps it only seems
too long since we've seen him,
that small, quick black figure,
sans tail.
The impetuous black imp
so unlike others of his kind,
unafraid and bold,
demanding of us his rightful due.

Due him from us
because he is so
appealingly precocious,
directing us to recognize
his personality, appreciate
his clever understanding
of human-squirrel dynamics.

The exigencies of the brutal cold,
incessant wind, snow squalls
hampering safety, security
and forbearance explain
semi-hibernation. But here,
on this rudely icy,
overcast dead-of-winter day,
he has delighted us by his presence.

Confronting our progress
through the snowily wooded trail
dispensing peanuts for those
hardy few that present,
and offering the largest, freshest,
to that ardent suitor of our favours,
the indomitable Stumpy