"And the squirrel looks down and says, 'Hey.'" - Rumi
Juan Mendez
Your Friday photo is in honor of Earth Month and the wildlife at Meher Mount…
One of the first things visitors to Meher Mount encounter in the area around the Visitor Center is a tiny pond. It’s small, shallow and can be overlooked amid the grand vistas and pathways Meher Mount offers. But it plays an essential role as part of Meher Mount’s ecosystem.
This photo of a California or Beecheys ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) at the pond was taken by temporary caretaker Juan Mendez who also suggested the following Rumi poem rendered by Daniel Ladinsky.
“Hey!
The grass beneath a tree is content and silent.
A squirrel holds an acorn in its praying hands, offering thanks, it looks like.
The nut tastes sweet; I bet the prayer spiced it up somehow
The broken shells fall on the grass, and the grass looks up and says, ‘Hey.’
And the squirrel looks down and says, ‘Hey.’
I have been saying ‘Hey’ lately too, to God.
Formalities just weren’t working.”
Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, also known as Rumi, was a 13th century poet and Islamic scholar. Avatar Meher Baba enjoyed listening to Rumi's poetry and praised him as one of the greatest minds of all mystical and spiritual literature.