Merely His Due

That plump little stump-tailed
imp of a squirrel favoured us
today. Stumpy, out for his
quotidian woodland scramble,
to see what he could see
found no peanuts awaiting
his expectations, so he ambled
over to meet and greet us.

He knows our voices, is
familiar with our toy dog's
aptitude for a swift run
challenging his near presence,
but familiarity breeds comfort
and he doesn't mind, switching
his back-end sans tail most
provocatively, the scamp.

Given the choicest of the lot,
off he goes with his treasure,
ignoring the puzzled presence
of other, tail-endowed types
without his boldness of pop-up
presence. Which he repeats
at various turns of the trail,
demanding his entitlements.