A CAUTIONARY TAIL !

Lately a friend of my acquaintance (whom I have assured will remain anonymous or should I say anonymouse) has been plagued with an invasion of mice into his setting of domestic bliss. Over many nights he and his brother have remained awake listening to the nocturnal activities of the little creatures who seem to have taken over the house! While I sympathise with his plight (being no hero in this regard myself!) I couldn’t let the opportunity pass without chronicling their ordeal with a few lines of verse.

OF MICE AND MEN

Here is a tale of domestic terror
The growth of menace within a house
A story of two stalwart brothers
Kept at bay by the power of Mouse!

For nights on end the pitter-patter
Of creature feet beneath the boards
Has kept these men alert and fretful
Mindful of the furry hordes.

Traps were set with tasty chocolate
To tempt the nibbling mouse brigade,
But these treats were nightly scoffed at
While the brothers stayed awake, afraid.

Through the early hours they kept their vigil
Nodding off for a few quick naps
But then awoken most uncivil
By the snapping sound of the closing traps!

One mouse gone to meet his maker,
While a hundred more run up the stairs
The scurrying noise of little feet
Running here and scratching there.

The local cat was called on board
Sought out on the street at 4 am
Ignoring the ‘puss-puss’ desperate pleas
The sleeping towser never came.

Desperate now the fraternal duo
Put down poison to end their hell
Still the nightly watch continues
When it will end who can tell.

How easily is our peace disturbed
By the sudden onset of rampaging mice
How quickly do we appreciate
The routene acts of our daily lives.

So let us not scoff in sly derision
The plight of the brothers so put out
But rather let us make provision
To guard our homes against the mighty mouse.

Under a door, or in the attic
He can break through the stoutest home
And then the tell-tale scratching alerts us
That we are surely not alone!

So I salute our two brave heroes
Still awake for all I know
Keeping alert for any scurry
No rest for them till the meeces go.

Gerard O'Shea