Mouse

“And a mouse is miracle enough
to stagger sextillions of infidels.”
– Leaves of Grass

All eyes and ears
a tuft of gray fur
scoots across the cellar floor
on invisible feet

zigzags like a clockwork toy
and zips away,
his stubby butt-end
disappearing into the shadows

Behind a box marked Glacier Park,
hulled seeds in wisps of dryer fluff
define his winter den,
Whitman’s mouse.

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About the author
Carolyn (CAT) Phillips is a resident of Mercer County, a retired teacher of English and history, whose work has appeared in several journals. She twice won a contest for ekphrastic poems describing sculptures at Grounds for Sculpture. She continues to participate in a poetry group, established fifteen years ago, which meets at the Mercer County Library in Lawrenceville, and which is devoted to the study, reading and writing of poetry.