Pat Riviere-Seel’s poem has a Mary Oliver feel where she honours a small animal that we might even notice in our daily walks. It is a blessing and prayer to have all that Nature offers us.
We soak in the world and find extraordinary in the ordinary.
Bless the gray mouse
that found her way
into the recycle bin.
Bless her tiny body,
no bigger than my thumb,
huddled and numb
against the hard side.
Bless her bright eye,
a frightened gleaming
that opened to me
and the nest she made
from shredded paper,
all I could offer.
Bless her last hours
alone under the lamp
with food and water near.
Bless this brief life
I might have ended
had she stayed hidden
inside the insulation.
Bless her body returned
to earth, no more
or less than any creature.
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About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms.
I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders.
I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs.
I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry.
I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry.
I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope and its anticipatory relationship with the future, and hope as an essential element in learning.
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 
imagining
a content
mouse 🙂
Thank you for the lovely little poem.
Unfortunately I don’t share the sentiment haha – especially when they visit the house!
They can be annoying at times.
I have to say I liked this poem a lot more before mice moved into my house this winter!
They can be a bit annoying at times.
amen
Thank you for posting something enriching and nourishing for the mind … that’s neither overtly (reliantly) religious, or an outright angry rant. It’s a mindfield, I’ve found, finding such a blog to begin to find some inspiration from – and yours is one. Please continue. Life is fragile – life is small; we fancy ourselves important … we’ll go back to the same gutter the mouse did, though. And he was probably more humble than I was. All life has value … even human.
Thank you for the wonderful comment Michael.
Even the least of our creatures deserve a poem or prayer. Such a sweet poem to share with us.
Thank you. We each do.
That’s heartbreaking but beautifully rendered. I’m sorry for the mouse that reminds me of a family of mice I found living in my father’s waist-high waders. They were tucked down to the toe – all 6 or 7 of them. Once discovered, Daddy said they had to go. 😦
It’s our duty as the smartest (?) creatures to care for the smallest, abused or helpless.
That is a wonderful sentiment.
This poem is very touching! I am happy the little mouse had a nest and food in the end.
Yes and some folks were glad the nest was outside their homes. It would bring much happiness into the world knowing each creature, including humans, has a nest and food.
That’s a very thoughtful gentle poem. 🙂 It’s so easy to become afraid of these little wild things especially when they find a way into the roof! My brother had a terrible rat problem in his roof recently, made worse by the local council who poisoned the city rats on mass (not wise at all.) One died through the poisoning in his roof space. He has a very low flat roof, so the smell was terribly sickening!! A hole was cut into the ceiling and the poor dead rat was discovered lying in a little straw bed it had made itself tucked very neatly behind a drainpipe. He was glad to get the problem sorted, but kind of felt a little sympathy for the poor creature. They have to live, just as we do. I think this poem sums that feeling up very well. Very timely for me Ivon! 🙂
I am glad you enjoyed the poem. It always amazes me how some go about solving the problems as if they have no consequences. The cure is sometimes worse than the disease.
As nice as the poem is – I’d rather mice stay away from me. 😉
It is a nice poem and you share a sentiment others have about some distance in real life.
OK, alright, Ivan. But I would rather bless the field mouse in the field. Not inside my house. gee wiz – now I feel guilty for saying that….
You are not alone in that feeling. I am probably in the same boat.
Very touching… moved me to tears. Lovely poem. Thank you for sharing!
You are welcome. It is a powerful poem.
lessons
of
reverence
~
everywhere
Thank you for the lovely poem. Reverently is how we should stand in nature.
Very Nice poem. Thoughtful.
Thank you Lvsrao.
Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
SQUEAK!