December 8, 2024

 

 

For our 8th Yule Calendar entry, I'll recite a poem written by me: The Yule Mouse.

I wrote this one for the Winter Poetry Competition one year ago. For that contest, the themes were winter time, the forest and good cheer. For my poem, I chose them all. It features George, the pesky dormouse, who lives at our kin hall in Songburrow.
 

 

The Yule Mouse

You might know George, the Dormouse
Of Songburrow Hole, that’s his house
His home is hidden inside the walls
Secret places known to him, at the Hall
The hobbits there leave him cheese
At night he sneaks to eat it, in all peace

On Yule the hobbits laze by the fire
But George himself is not that idle
He seeks here, there and everywhere
On desks, behind chests, ‘neath every chair
For the hobbits always scatter food
Lost crumbs and bites are George’s loot
He has piled it up in one huge heap
There’s so much, all for him to eat?
Yet mouses work in mysterious ways
As we see now on the Yuletide days…

One eve, George hauls it all to the yard
There, he loads the food on a cart
Climbing up and down, George fumbles
As he carries raisins, seeds and crumbles
The cart gets heavy, as the pile gets higher
Does the puller have enough mouse power?
George shrugs and whistles, and right on cue
Comes the oinker Minna to the rescue
She starts to pull, George hops on the food
They start towards the nearby woods

The air is cold, the night is dark
You only hear the rattling cart
The woods are silent, all expectant
Yet there’s a light from the distance
Now we see it, a campfire in a clearing
That’s where George and Minna are heading
By the fire many animals of the wild
Greet the new arrivals with a smile
The owls, rabbits, wolves and moose
Gape at the mouse and pig on the loose
George peeps, wishes merry Yule
Bouncing ‘round the huge pile of food
He beckons hungry birds and beasts
To join his lovely Yuletide feast
Above the stars are all alight
It is such a lovely sight:
Happy creatures big and small
Munching as some snowflakes fall
George just watches happily
Forgets to fill his own belly!
Soon the food has disappeared
Naught left for George, I fear!

The birds break out in loud chirping:
From the dark, someone’s coming!
A little mouse rides a white Yule bunny
Dressed in a cape, looking funny
He jumps down, bells a-jingling
And look! what he is a-bringing:
A large biscuit made of cheese
All that a small dormouse needs!
It is for George, our friend so dear
For bringing others good Yule cheer

So whether you’re small or big
You can do a grand Yule deed
Share the laughs, hugs and food
Wish all yer dears a merry Yule!

Would you like to take part in a wintry poetry contest too? Now is your chance! In one week on Sunday 15th December, we have the Winter Poetry Competition once again in Frostbluff, organized by Nannie. You can find the instructions and more information about this LOTRO roleplaying event in the Gazette.