THE SMALL BLACK squirrel clung to a branch of a large maple tree long since vacated by birds during this week's windstorms. I tried to capture the fuzzy silhouette with my camera, wondering if it was afraid of the rough breeze or enjoying its roller coaster ride.
The branches swayed chaotically and the creature was hard to find as it darted from one branch to another during momentary lulls. Was it confused about whether to go up, down, left or right?
When the leaves whipped frantically about, it vanished into a beautiful blur only to reappear like ebony ink spilling into the greenery.
A swish of its tail came into view to disappear again into swirling hues.
Nearby a leggy "trapeze artist" dangled on a string. The spider attached itself to its unfinished web to avoid being haplessly tossed in the wind.
As we all so often do, it found its own ingenuity to cling to.
In the early morning after the storm the world was eerily silent and still. Out my window I saw the moon sail through brooding clouds that rolled like ocean waves across the dark mysterious sky. What the day would bring was uncertain but I hoped the creatures outside had survived.
I saw branches and leaves shaken loose from trees. Pondering the outcome for birds, spiders and squirrels, I was saddened to later learn a 16-year old boy had been killed in Surrey by a fallen tree. For his loved ones the effects of the storm will be felt forever.
Postscript: There is currently a fundraising initiative online for memorials planned in
Shakir Salaam's name which will include a 16-year rugby bursary, a water well in Africa and donations to BC Children’s Hospital and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Ironically, Shakir had two open heart surgeries when he was a baby which he credited for extending his not always easy but bright and interesting life.
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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms
