Mother Mouse

"tragedy, tragedy!"
said mother mouse to the bumblebee
"my babies are all gone!"

and with that, the bee flew off
to tell the bird
who sings the song
that mother mouse's babies
are all dead and gone.

so the bird changed his tune
took off, and before noon
the whole forest had heard the song.

they came, all in black,
from the biggest bear
to the smallest gnat.
the foxes and the hounds
shed tears all around.

they all came to her door,
praying the babies,
into castles,
by the shore.

answered mother mouse,
to the call chirped by the grouse,
"it was not a flea,
t'was also not the tick,"

silence.
"who was it then?"
implored the mother hen

"wasn't the tick,
i said.
but it was the tock."

it was the tock,
that follows the tick
upon the face of the clock.

and six little mounds
upon the face of the ground
followed the tock and the tick.