A Mouse Called Dissent

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Mouse called dissent
"To Say or Not To Say?"

A lab rat by profession
abused and betrayed
Never dared to wrong no one
but had to escape
For it is human nature to exploit
nobody's mistake
A heathen creed perhaps
only maker to blame

As stories bloated
and propaganda floated
Hearsay a demon
factually declared plagued
The skeptics had no voice
and the mouse had no choice
Found a refuge
and this is where it stays
A lonely mouse in a big house

Alas! Honeymoon didn't last
they found the outcast
Didn't knew its real identity
instinctively they dealt with 'it'
Hounds by their deed
the sheep led the siege
And walls impenetrable
like sand-castles on the beach
The house wasn't a home now
but a battled-field
With mines to walk on
and nothing to eat

Starving and scared
just one thought in mind
Fight or flight
gotta stay alive
Tough as it may be
but this is life
Gathered the strength
and made it to the front porch
Only to find cats
guarding the door
Willingly or perhaps master's chore
with bells tagged 'media'
on noose pretty strong

No escape here
it rushed to the place before
Some muffled voices
tempting with choices
Was there once
now in the backyard
Where camouflaged
and practicing their art
It found politics and ideology
slither in the grass -
Spineless just waiting

To be or not to be
consumed
'The end' this was
nothing more to presume
Or could it be
the moment of truth
With the last shred of optimism
the mouse concludes
This shall pass too
just patience and resilience
And if the will is to survive
this is exactly how it'd get by
The house's the best bet for now
and the way forward -
Laying low not getting tempted

What difference does it make
if it stays or leave
Or even if it speaks
People will believe
what they want to, or have to believe

"..and he is just a mouse
only so many places he can be.
But really no place he can be free!"

"Remember 'it' is real and a metaphor too."

© 2024 Ashutosh Joshi

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