A Small Grey Mouse. Poem by Graham Jones

I feel I am a small grey mouse
Upon the forest floor
I thread my way from here and there
In search of something more

I tend to go out late at night
Because its dark and safer too
But I must feed my family
As others often do

Though danger creeps around me
I continue on my quest
For in the world I live in
There is no second best

Ahead a moss enshrouded branch
An ambush I perceive
I hold my breath and shudder
And creep beneath the leaves

I find some seeds to fill my needs
And then I sniff the air
My biggest threat comes from the sky
And so I must beware

The moonlight in my favour wanes
Again I check the sky
A sudden rush of wind I feel
My time has come to...........

An alternate ending for the sqeamish.

The moonlight in my favour wanes
Again I check the sky
A sudden rush of wind I feel
Comes a curdling shrieking cry

Once more I have been lucky
I won't get a second chance
This nightly gauntlet that I run
My macbre like midnight dance.