Greetings, Poetry Lovers! Can you believe we are in the final week of Poetry Month? How did that happen?
Also, apparently I have a teeny wee mouse in my studio in the basement. How did that happen?
Well, that's easier to explain, as the renovated basement WAS an unfinished garage space, and it butts up on three sides to the ground, including whatever space is under the front porch. Ah, well. My hubby says he'll take a look at trying to seal some questionable cracks. A few weeks ago, I noticed some teeny bits of shredded paper and insulation inside the little compartments of one of the old wooden printer's trays (inside an old metal flat file) that I use for some of my way-too-many tidbits. Cute, but I did remove the shreds and sprinkle some peppermint detergent in there. This week I found a few little bitty "deposits" in the closet I've also taken over with my art/packaging supplies (the tiny room right beneath the porch).
In THE POET'S CRAFT ( Helen Fern Daringer and Anne Thaxter Eaton, 1935), I came across an unknown-to me poem by Elizabeth Coatsworth (1893-1986) which takes the mouse's side. She wrote for both children and adults, and won the Newbery Medal in 1931.
The Mouse
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
I hear a mouse
Bitterly complaining
In a crack of moonlight
Aslant on the floor -
"Little I ask
And that little is not granted.
There are few crumbs
In this world any more.
"The bread box is tin.
And I cannot get in.
"The jam's in a jar
My teeth cannot mar.
"The cheese sits by itself
On the pantry shelf. -
"All night I run
Searching and seeking,
All night I run
About on the floor.
"Moonlight is there
And a bare place for dancing,
But no little feast
Is spread any more."
Poor Mousey. But I do love the image of mice dancing in the moonlight!
Waltz on over to see our talented Ruth at There is No Such Thing as a God-forsaken Town for this week's Roundup, and be sure to catch up on the Progressive Poem, which is parked at Still in Awe with Karin Fisher-Golton today. (I have Monday's line - wish me luck!) Apologies in advance if I'm not swift in responding to comments this weekend - I'm off to the SCBWI Southern Breeze conference in Birmingham!