The Squirrel

A squirrel bolted from the greenbelt
with something on its mind
(lunch? love? the pursuit
of happiness, for all I know)
and darted headlong
across the highway.

Random commuters reacted
instinctively,
(no time to do otherwise) and,
incredibly,
swerved, shrieked,
braked if we could,
granting the squirrel
the same unalienable rights
we demand for ourselves.

When it scampered
to safety we cheered,
smiled shyly at each other,
and drove on.