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Harry Newman

PRIMITIVES

the night we saw the mouse
in our apartment
you wouldn’t take your feet
off the couch for an hour

staring at the space beneath
the dresser where it ran
and when you did finally
you stamped through the room

stamped and made noises
lifting your arms into the air
as in some tribal ritual
for scaring away the dead

I grabbed a broom to hunt it
I’ve killed a few I tell you
inching towards the corner
crouched and poised to strike

in slippers and underwear
a parody of early man
my cave with mice instead
of mastodons on the walls

how primitive we seemed
then primitive and hopeless
lost against the wild things
the ancient fears returning

–from Rattle #25, Summer 2006

§ One Response to “Primitives” by Harry Newman

• Alex Nodopaka says:

  June 28, 2012 at 8:13 am

  Nothing
  like a good mousy story
  to inspire my own
  rat’s tale

  Reply