Mr. Mouse had a daughter, pretty but mean
Promised to a runt who was mangy and lean
Runt leaned on a wall from dawn untill late
A nobody mouse who was happy to wait
Mr. Mouse was so mad at the match he made
"I swear I can find a much better trade!..."
He climbed to the Sun and bowed his big head
“Please give her a chance,” the old father said
Sun just said “Cloud can cover my face...”
So Mr. Mouse went to the cloudiest place
Cloud told him “Wind will tear me apart...”
Wind told him “Wall has a stronger heart...”
Wall said “runt mouse, I fear him most of all
He's gnawed me hollow, though he's ever so small
Mr. Mouse just crept home, less than nothing to say
And gave his mean daughter to runt the same day
So at dusk they were wed and made their first nest
A place near Wall's base that the bride had liked best
At night the runt dug as his new wife lay slept
Making his place as his crack wider crept
When one warm, wet dawn Wall's heart failed at last
And a dust-cloud about followed a thunderous crash
We found the pair flat, crushed beneath all the stones
Dead bodies in rubble, they reaped what they'd sown
Note: "Mouse Bride" is an adaptive, terrible reimagining of the traditional Asian folktale "The Mouse's Wedding."
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Pikthall is a writer and theoretician.
