The Squirrel

By

Mildred Bowers Armstrong

Poem

He wore a question mark for tail,

An overcoat of gray,

He sat up straight to eat a nut.

He liked to tease and play,

And if we ran around his tree,

He went the other way. 

Explanation

The Squirrel is a small poem written by Mildred Bowers Armstrong.A squirrel is a small playful rodent that usually lives in trees. Here the poet is describing the squirrel's physical appearance and its activities.

The poet refers to the squirrel as "he". The squirrel has a tail in the shape of a question mark.The colour of his body is gray. The poet refers to it as an overcoat as it has thick fur. They are generally very fond of nuts and fruits. Here, she says the squirrel has sat up straight (with his back straight) to eat his nut.Squirrels are very playful and active animals. If we try to go near, he runs away as fast as he can. He likes to tease and play with us. He'll try to play by making us come near him, but if we go near him, he will go the other way.

Note the rhyming words in the poem at the end of alternate sentences: gray - play - way.

Working With The Poem

Q. 1. Why does the poet say the squirrel “wore a question mark for tail”? Draw a squirrel, or find a picture of a squirrel sitting on the ground. How would you describe its tail?

Answer: The poet said that the squirrel “wore a question mark for a tail” because its tail is twisted appearing like a question mark.

Q. 2. Do we usually say that an animal ‘wears’ a tail? What do we say?

(Think: Does an animal wear a coat? Consult a dictionary if you like, and find out how ‘wear’ is used in different ways.)

Answer: We usually say that an animal ‘has’ a set of given characteristics rather than saying ‘wear’. The poet, however, uses the word ‘wear’ to indicate the external characteristics of the squirrel.

The dictionary meaning of ‘wear’ suggests some­thing of an outer covering, for instance clothes.

Q. 3. “He liked to tease and play”. Who is teasing whom? How?

Answer: The poet liked to tease and play with the squirrel. Whenever the poet went a little close to the squirrel, the squirrel would run away in the other direction.