Editor’s note: Amos is a church mouse, who types by hopping on the computer keyboard, but he can’t operate the capital shift, and he shuns punctuation marks – except hyphens and dashes. life in a matchbox amendments to solomon s proverbs boss i may have mentioned this once before but life ain t easy under a cushionless church pew a wise mouse lays up knowledge as a squirrel stores up nuts - except knowledge lasts longer - especially if you eat as much as stanley squirrel does he who gathers in the summer is a wise mouse but he who hops around and parties with the grasshoppers causes shame for his mom and poppa mouse a gossipy ladybug reveals secrets and scatters pain but a faithful close-mouthed friend keeps harmony in the church pew underworld he who withholds his cheese the other mice shall curse but blessings be upon the head of him who generously shares as a golden ring in a pig s snout so is a lovely ladybug with rude manners or a foul mouth he who creates misery within his own little matchbox will inherit the wind — and probably a few flames as well just as doing what s right tendeth to life so he who pursues evil will pursue it to his own death young mouse walk not in the ways of the wild rat or the heathen alley cat for their feet run to evil to maim the young and old and to steal and spoil the food they find they plot and scheme and lay snares for others but instead find themselves ensnared in their own traps the young mouse who chooses to live right shall receive wisdom and long life but the mouse who chooses wickedness and foolish living will one day have to pay for traveling the wrong way never yell at a neighbor mouse when you re eating cheese or crackers never chase your tail - one of four things almost always happens either you exhaust yourself and fall flat on your nose or you get dizzy and fall flat on your nose or you stumble and fall flat on your nose or even if you actually catch your tail what then question mark here boss never get mad and kick the cheese in a mouse trap a spring-loaded mouse trap is like a fifty-ton freight train — you can t outrun either of them peace and long life shall follow the mouse who sips the milk of kindness shuns the wine of bitterness walks the way of love shares the bread and cheese of life and stops often at the well of forgiveness amos