Hunger bites, and gnaws away,
Leading to an endless search
For grains and scraps that lie about
The frosty morning earth
The clear black sky pitted with stars
That shine and sparkle and look about
Eyes that watch and stars that stare
But taste of hunger fills the air
Heart that beats, legs that run
To nothing empty stomach will succumb
The nervous twitch, the drop of dew
Danger lurks among the few
Who venture out to grab a grain
And say to themselves, over and again:
I want to live, I want to eat.
Sit in fear and torment,
They watch and listen, then hear screech
The flash of shadow, the beat of wing
Hear the echoes of a sin
I want to eat, I want to live
What a wrong, what a right
What kind of demon lurks in the night
To perch all high, judge, then use might
And give us all a mighty fright.
©Do not copy and edit, or reproduce without permission from the author (Abelia May) and full acknowledgement of the author (Abelia May) and website address
https://abeliamayblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/05/the-lonely-mouse-poem/