What Mice Do | A Poetic Reflection

Birth

Cage

Run, eat, sleep.
Run, eat, sleep.
Run, eat, sleep.

Take this pill

Run, sleep, eat, run
Sleep, eat, run
Sleep, eat

Let's see, what if we...

Run, don't sleep, eat run, don't sleep, eat run don't sleep, eat

Now, that's interesting. What if we...

Sit.
Don't sleep, eat.
Sit.
Don't sleep, eat.
Sit.
Don't sleep, eat.

Ah, yes. It's working now.

Remove the cage
remove the prompts
give them their freedom.

Born, and seperated from community
Caged, in forced divisions and conditions
worked for just enough to survive to do it again.
Access to food, limited in variety and nutrition
told all they need is enough sleep,
but if you can't, take this, drink that, smoke and let the vices bridge you into fuction another day

Worked until
it works.

Then push
until sleep is optional.
Night shifts
cleaning behind other's play
last to bed, first to rise
less and less time for self

Worded and restless until
it works.

Then push
until they quit
Told they aren't enough to hire,
disposable when time to fire,
benefits, what benefits?
you have to earn your way by your own boots straps

Worked and restless and tired then
opportunity
liberty
freedom

But, what happens to the sheltered, the broken, the caged
when they finaly have a taste of freedom?

A violently silent unboxing into invisible bars of systemic permission.
The science experiement now built into traditions.

They do what mice do.

This poem was triggered in thought when listening to an article from NPR on the reaction of mice who were born in captivity and then released into a free area with access to the elements and nature. They were struck with such anxiousness and fear that they avoided the freedome when it was offered to them. As you can tell, this isn't far from a truth hidden in history. I hope this encourages you to consider what life might look like for those born and pushed into such kind of living and to seek out ways to be an agent of change and transformation in this world that God created for all of us.

Link to the article from NPR.