Economics Of The Red Squirrel

I observe the red squirrel
from the kitchen window,
paused on a branch, acorn
in mouth, looking like
a knick-knack on a shelf.

I know what he’s thinking,
because I am thinking it too.
Surely life must be more
than accumulating,
and stashing away,
more than mere
industrialization.

But maybe not, thinks the red squirrel;
but maybe so, think I.