Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Parable of the Mouse

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning.

"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap -- alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.

To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died.

So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear that someone else’s neighborhood is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one community is threatened, all are at risk.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

An absolutely wonderful parable.....thanks for telling it!

P.S. there is a subtext: (Mr. Rapacious Developer) Next time you think you've got a mouse (a docile community) in your grip, you may just have caught a snake!

In other words,"DON'T TREAD ON ME!

Anonymous said...

Great syllogism with the "DON'T TREAD ON ME" reference! Perhaps we all should start flying that flag here in Queens.

Russ

Anonymous said...

Say now! That's a mighty good rippin' yarn.

Anonymous said...

The mouse = grass roots preservationists from Queens.

Anonymous said...

A lot of people are flying the "Don't Tread On Me" flag in my neighborhood already!

Anonymous said...

The next time you're about to get back to your TV shows instead of getting just a little involved usefully in neighborhood matters, ask yourself: are you the chicken, the pig or the cow?

Anonymous said...

Interesting idea folks!!!

How about printing up the 'Dont Tread on Me' decals and making them a symbol of the city-wide community preservation movement?

The people's banner against the big machine, big city government, big contruction, and big media.

Anonymous said...

I think that may give some preservationists heart attacks. They aren't used to being so outspoken and vigilant, you know.

Anonymous said...

Then its time for the revolutionaries to capture the public's imagination from those arm chair gassy intellectural liberals.

Vive le Revolution!!

georgetheatheist said...

Do not even attempt to catch mice with cheese; instead, smear a portion of peanut butter on the triggering mechanism...BTW I am trying to get rid of pigeons which have made a colony on my and my neighbor's roof...I've got a plastic owl with a bobble-head feature which does absolutely no good...I squirt them with water from the hose (they just come back)...Now I want to poison them- that's right POISON them...Any suggestions from the readership on methods and materials?...I despise these vermin and the morons that feed them on the street - just wait for the predicted bird flu epidemic to arrive!

Anonymous said...

Queens is for the birds.

I agree with George. They are unhealthy, unsanitary winged vermin!

Kill them! Kill them!! Kill them now!!!

verdi said...

The new updated version of a "Don't Tread On Me" flag (or decal.......I like this idea) should be a coiled snake wrapped tightly around the body of a developer/real estate type.....squeezing him so all but his big cartoon head is visable!

Yeah, maybe even a slogun addition:

"Don't Tread On Me Land-Grabber"!

verdi said...

Correction (sorry folks):

Only his cartoon head is visable!