Cleaning Up, Changing Out

Inside tires that support
empty boxes in case of flood
were two dead mice. Frozen
in form, they still had fur
but little else. Even maggots
left only a shell. Did they expire
together? About three inches apart.

I had to peal them off the cement floor.

Picked them up by the brittle tail,
tossed them outside hoping that
they would serve some purpose,
some use. One fell flat—a good sign.

The other was held up vertical by
frozen blades of grass. I’d have to
fix that if they lasted the night.

Early Sunday morning
they were still there, unchanged.

A proper burial was in order.

Scraped off the debris of winter
and placed them side by side.
Covered with a leaf, a few cedar
discards, a fluff of lilac blossom.

1/2/11