The Lion, The Mouse, and Me

Posted on May 29, 2018 by John Biscello
There is this
small piece of glass
an unstable irritant
at the back of my heart
way way back
a shard
that got lodged there
god knows when
and lately
in considering and
reflecting upon this bit
of glass and the impact
it has had
on my heart in general
I’ve thought about the mouse
who helped the lion
by removing a thorn
from the lion’s paw
an act of kindness
perpetrated by the mighty meek
and though I’m not exactly sure
where the mouse fits in
if at all
in relation to the shard-burn
at the back of my heart
I do have this feeling
that for years and years
I have been trying
to tweeze a pinch of glass
using lion’s claws
tearing and shredding
and doing more harm than good
when really what I need is
a mouse
with right-sized teeth
and a love
of unfinished fables
with no easy morals.

 

 

 

 

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About John Biscello

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, novelist, poet, performer, playwright and filmmaker, John Biscello, has lived in the high-desert grunge-wonderland of Taos, New Mexico since 2001. He is the author of six novels, Broken Land, a Brooklyn Tale, Raking the Dust, Nocturne Variations, No Man’s Brooklyn, The Last Furies, and No One Dreams in Color; a collection of stories, Freeze Tag, two poetry collections, Arclight and Moonglow on Mercy Street; and a fable, The Jackdaw and the Doll, illustrated by Izumi Yokoyama. He also adapted classic fables, which were paired with the vintage illustrations of artist, Paul Bransom, for the collection: Once Upon a Time, Classic Fables Reimagined. His plays have been staged and performed both nationally and internationally.
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5 Responses to The Lion, The Mouse, and Me

  1. erroneouschoices's avatar erroneouschoices says:
    May 29, 2018 at 6:49 pm

    You’re going to have to write things for me to feel for the rest of my life. In case you didn’t know

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