Colin Crouse the River Mouse

Colin Crouse the River Mouse sat on a stool in his house.

Chin in his paw, a long sigh he did draw, for a problem he never foresaw.

“Let me in!” yelled the grouse, who, with his spouse, the infamous mouse,

Sawney O’Hoolighan-Reed, wanted to feed on Colin’s last bit of cheese!

“Oh my, oh me! How could this be?” With their plea Colin could not agree.

In vain he sought to change their thought, but tempers ran hot, and, alas, he could not.

From outside the door, Sawney yelled once more, “Hand over the cheese or be sore!”

Colin daren’t get caught by those whom he fought, so instead he brewed up a plot.

“Okay,” Colin said, “let’s put this to bed. The cheese I will give you, just as you said.”

The grouse let out a caw to Sawney’s triumphant Yehaw! And they held out their claws,

Prepared to receive the spread. From inside came no tread. Grouse scratched his head.

“Come out or I'm coming in!” No answer within, Sawney eyed the door with chagrin.

Open it came, with a crash and a bang, and into the room Sawney sprang.

There was no one inside; where could he hide? They looked around ‘til Sawney decried,

“He’s gone; rotten rat!” On the floor he did spat, then sat to think on the doormat.

The grouse said “He lied!” and began to cry, in despair Sawney felt a tear in his eye.

 He said, “Drat the rat!”—for Colin’s no kin of him. The pair sat on the floor feeling grim.

Just then, from behind, a terrible surprise! A crash and a clatter caused them to arise.

What terrible din! Was it from the kitchen? Sawney pricked up his ears and ran in.

Was it their fancy? A rush to the pantry—a curious noise; the sound was uncanny!

Sawney puffed out his chest, while the grouse drew in a breath, and as for the rest—

They swung open the door, and Oh! What horror! Colin laid there spread on the floor.

No—it can’t be!—Can Colin possibly be laying there, grinning, all covered in Cheese!

“The cheese is no more!” Colin said with rancour, “Please, feel free to explore.”

Sawney fell to his knees, yelling, “No not the Brie!” Grouse grew unsteady on his feet.

“How could you, Colin?” said Sawney, solemn, “To what terrible depths have you fallen?”

“Oh don’t you see?” said Colin to he. “It is you who to this measure drove me?—

Attacked in my home; relentless calls on the phone; why won’t you just leave me alone?”

Who's to say what Sawney felt on that day, seeing the friendship he’d frittered away?

“Colin, dear cousin, I know that it doesn’t make it okay; but we’ve half-a-dozen,

Children that must eat today. I’ve been led astray in the hopes that I may

Provide with food our innocent brood of grouslings, and thus I pursued

The lead of a cheese, which, if you please, would my home’s hunger appease!”

The grouse now chimed in, “It’s true we have been committing a very grave sin,

By allowing our greed our love to impede; to a friend’s sorrow we’ve paid no heed.

No one here wins, now the cheese is done in, to express my repentance I cannot begin.”

“Let us not fight, but hear of our plight. The wheat in our field has succumb to a blight.

There’s no grain to eat; nor cheese, nor meat. Yet our children entreat

Us to feed them and set it aright. All day and all night we work for one bite,

But it’s not enough, the going is tough; and our desperation has made us get rough.”

"The cheese it would please my daughters and niece, Eloise,

And for our sons, who are not yet nine months, once slice is worth ten tonnes!"

Here the grouse stopped, for he could not go on with the thought

That they had not won; the cheese was all gone, for them there was none.

There was a pause, as Sawney took up the cause, lifting his head from his paws.

“Grouse lost his job at the tortoise’s bog, and we also support his sister, Miss Frog,

and, as for me, the pond-dwellers agree: a mouse with my stature is far too scary!”

At this he did sob, and his tears the grouse daubed, sorry for trying the cheese to rob.

Colin felt bad. What good had it had? To have taken the cheese from these dutiful dads?

Sawney may not be nice, in the eyes of all mice, but he does what he can to suffice.

“In these dire straits, you could have told your old mate; I wouldn’t have left you to fate!

So let me impart some words of advice: better to think twice before staging a heist!”

The pair did repent, all was well meant, and Colin confessed the cheese he'd have lent.

The trio was glad to rid blood that was bad, never had Sawney had

A friend so true. He could not be blue, even though his plot had fell through.

In smiles clad, they shook hands like mad, and hard feelings between them Colin forbad.

Hugs all around, then Sawney did frown, “Whatever will my poor family do now?

It’s all well and good, to restore brotherhood, but without that cheese there’s no food!”

“Don’t get down,” Colin said, with a tap on his brow, we mice have the know-how

to always find feed. Follow your nose where it leads, or, better yet, follow me!”

Colin led mouse and grouse out of his house, the bounce in his step sufficient to rouse

Feelings of hope in the breast of them both. With a flourish he pointed over a slope.

“Up ahead, is a small wooden shed, where I store tools and a stash of French bread!”

This Colin quoth, and they three shook off their sloth and set off at quite a fast lope.

Colin flung open the door, and laid out before were piles and piles of bread galore!

Sawney could not believe what his eyes did see, and the grouse fell onto his knees.

“My secret store! Please, I implore, we forget what has passed; what’s mine is yours.”

The bread they did share, no loaf was spared; Colin even produced a slice of Gruyere!