In the countryside
Walk into the woods
And you’ll hear
Animals scatter
The thud of hooves
Rushing for cover
Birds take flight
Claws scramble up trees
Not today
This morning
A little fat mouse
Heard footsteps
It began to run
Stopped
Turned round
And stared
‘What are you looking at?’
The mouse stood
On its back legs
Front paws dangling at its side
‘Scram!’
Scram?
You scram -
That was its posture
One stomp closer
Two stomps closer
The mouse
Did not budge
‘Look you
Do whatever you like
Out here
But don’t come in the house.’
It bobbed its head
No kidding
Then ran off
Into the woods.