Loose End

With the crash of a hard drive his world
was destroyed. In the hall mirror he saw
the field mice eating their way into a plastic bag

With the crash of a bank his world
was destroyed. In the hall mirror he saw
the field mice climbing into an open box of tinsel

With the crash of a car his world was
destroyed. In the hall mirror he saw
the field mice gnawing the electrical insulation

Then his wedding photo was elbowed off the mantel
The crash of the glass woke him. He bought
a dozen mousetraps to address the infestation

In the hall mirror he saw his wife on her knees
nibbling at the soft cheese of meaning