Awake in the wee hours, reading Wallace Stevens’ dense enigmatic poetry, I hear clinks and clanks from the kitchen, noises quite distinct from the refrigerator’s night-time hums and thumps. Seven minutes after I set the trap, I hear it snap, then, three scuffles, then I look — empty! Seven minutes after I re-set the trap, I hear it snap again, then, more scuffles, then I look — and the mouse looks back at me, its paw caught, the trap unshakeable. As recommended on page 38 of the Mouse Trapper’s Handbook, I use a paper towel and, even though it nips my thumb, I carry the intruder out of the house and into the yard to freedom. May God be as generous to me! And, if I am to be counted wise, may I recognize God’s mercy even when I am left with a mangled paw, a memento of my trespass. Photo of my covered left hand holding a trapped mouse. To comment, CLICK HERE.
Photo and text copyright 2020 by Danny N. Schweers. http://www.photoprayer.com/