*

*
Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Friday, January 6, 2012

I, Mouse

Angry Mouse on the Phone by dl norton
Don't underestimate me
I may look unassuming
which is why you
will assume that I
am meek and mild
That
is a mistake
I may be quiet
but I am stealthy
You may not even notice me
watching
waiting
I keep my secrets
to myself
I can subsist on
crumbs
I am stubborn
persistent
I will destroy your house
piece by piece
I will disrupt your sleep
scritch by scritch
I will steal your food
and your sanity
By the time you catch me
there will be dozens more
to take my place
Don't underestimate me.

22 comments:

Buddah Moskowitz said...

(Sorry, I sent the previous comment from my personal email. Please delete and keep this one!)

Loved this poem, and it reminds me of something I wrote years ago! Long live the vermin! - Mosk


http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,12132.0.html

Jinksy said...

Oo, scary mouse! ♥

Maude Lynn said...

Sinister! I like it!

Brian Miller said...

eek....haha powerful little mouse there...def dont underestimate....smiles.

Kerry O'Connor said...

What a wonderful monologue - puts me in mind of Sylvia Plath's Mushrooms. Sometimes the meek do inherit.

x said...

Big power can come in small packages. Small enough not to notice until it is too late.

Lolamouse said...

Mosk-
I read your entry at the other site. You're right-they do have much in common, although I DO NOT think cockroaches are beautiful!

Lolamouse said...

Kerry-
Funny you should mention "Mushrooms." When I was in high school, a poetry teacher showed me that poem and said that it reminded him of me! I've always been fond of it since, although I'm still not sure whether he meant it as an insult or a compliment!

Mary said...

Oh yes, where there is one mouse there are more! They are definitely quiet but stealthy. Love it!

Buddah Moskowitz said...

@Lolamouse - I agree, cockroaches are fugly, but remember it was written from his/her own perspective. :)

Kay L. Davies said...

Oh no! Now I'll have nightmares. Tigers and bears and what-all couldn't do it, but mice could.
(BTW, I think your teacher meant it as a compliment.)
K

Fireblossom said...

Fear the Mouse, indeed! She definitely has her ways to win in the end. And the title of that picture is classic. Thanks for being part of my prompt!

Christine said...

a nibbling little mouse, in the dark, in the corner of the kitchen, is the most terrifying sound, I have ever heard, this made me feel goosebumps

Mary Ann Potter said...

Very wellcrafted! Subsisting on crumbs. Tearing things apart piece by piece. Wow.

Teresa said...

Darn those pesky mice. I think a lovely cat would do the trick!

J Cosmo Newbery said...

Oooo...nasty mouse! Nice writing.

Monika said...

Eh, mouse certainly has his own tactics! surely dont be foolish thinking it's easy undermining them.

Doctor FTSE said...

Mice will destroy us eventually. Mice . . . and thistledown. Very good work.

Marian said...

hah, love it. your blog title always brings to mind Frederick, the children's book by Leo Lionni... the mouse who gathered sun and colors and words.

Bryan White said...

"Scritch by scritch" Great word choice!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Oh this is just so good.....yes, a tiny beastie can wreak havoc in a kitchen cupboard. Love the title, too.

hedgewitch said...

No one who has not had adorable little mice invade their house can understand the stark and rather dark truth of this poem--so do those little things that destroy us always come. Extremely well written, lm.