CHRIS J. MELANSON
PoetryArtworkFiction
“I AM THAT MOUSE”


Like the captured mouse,
Lonely and in fright—
Hungry and desperate to get away;
Like the captured mouse,
Missing its home—
Its fellow mice…
Missing its sanity;
Like the captured mouse,
Hopes and dreams keep it alive.

In my situation,
Is this how you think I should fell?
Like the wishfull mouse…
Looking forward to its future?
Is this how you think I should feel?
Really, I feel like the mouse who lost interest in its wheel.
I feel like the mouse who no longer gives a damn…
No, I am that mouse!

I am that mouse who gave up on all its dreams—
Lost faith in what it takes.
I am that mouse who got way too many breaks—
I never learned a thing.
I am that mouse who was king in its own head
Till the whole “empire thought” fled—
It ran away with everything else.

I am that mouse!

I am the captured mouse who’s lonely and doesn’t care.
I am that mouse whose hunger's no longer there.

I am that mouse!

I am that mouse who was too impatient—
Too important to not get its way…
And now I am the captured mouse who doesn’t give a shit if it goes
Or if it stays.

I am that mouse who wants to quit the maze.

I am that mouse.
-Chris J. Melanson 2006
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