The Mouse’s Mistake

On the day that the mouse ate the elephant
we were all somewhat surprised
in part ‘cause we’d fed the mouse earlier
and in part for the difference in size.

When questioned the mouse simply explained
he’d been bet by a man that he knew
and a fiver’s a fiver he carelessly shrugged
and an elephant makes a good stew.

But that elephant, I tried to explain to him,
was our friend and our pet and on loan
from the zoo in Bristol who’d kindly allowed
him a weekend away for a roam.

When the weekend was up and we had to return
that elephant back to the zoo
we tied a hoover nozzle onto his nose
and hoped that the mouse would do.

2001 © A F Harrold