Benny and John

A long time ago
When I was young
My father and I would sit
Silent at the table
Staring out the window

Every half hour
Two fat and fuzzy squirrels
Like clockwork would come
To eat the birdseed hanging
From the aged, old oak

When they would reach
The top of the tree
Dad would pound on the glass
Scaring the shit
Right out of those squirrels

They came again
And again I laughed
Each time as hard as the last
I loved those stupid squirrels
I named them Benny and John

Once in a while
My father would wait
And let them eat a bit
Then the thud on the glass
Sent them scurrying away

After a time my father
Stood up from his seat
And gazed through the glass
Breathing heavy and slow
I'll never forget what he said

 "Time, like the seasons
  Is changing the world
  And we must change with it
  Or end up like the squirrels"