Tears Fall from Grace

Beholding a field mouse taken aside
Put in a bucket he struggled to hide
I gaze down upon his holding-cell nigh
He was guilty of plundering newspaper by
Shredding the waste of the people inside

As his mood and manner were filled with grace
Dexterous and clean with an inquisitive face
Left only with fragments of a nest for to frame
His nearing relocated home farther away
Into the wilder fields, near water we waste

My eyes fill with tears when I think of his plight
How will he fare with the snakes in the night?
I'll never know why mice trigger tears
I could sob as a response but this I would fear
Isn't accepted, so I'll refrain
I'll just set him free to nest once again.

EVE Featherstone

NOTE FROM EVE:
This poem was an attempt by me to sort out why mice always cause a tearful reaction for me. I absolutely feel like sobbing on the spot, due to their sweetness and grace. When I watch the care and detail they apply to all their little tasks, it makes me sad to recall common responses by most humans I have witnessed in their presence.

This mouse was captured in his nest, fat from the food crumbs scattered about from missing the trash can over time, and living in boxes, which have needed to be cleaned out. His new home would be out by the flowers in the greenhouses and field. I put him in a safe tangle of weeds which we did clear promptly in our attempts to keep order, and nearby to a hydrant which drips constantly from the well. Technically this well water is wasted, but the honey bees, and now this mouse will make good use of it.

This article outlines how humans blame mice for all kinds of atrocities, when in fact mice are a signal to clean up your act. Symbolic Meaning of Mice