Editor’s note: Amos is a churchmouse, unable to use the keyboard shift keys and unschooled in the art of punctuation. 

boss i went on a lark with a
couple of church pew
underworld friends – sammy
salamander freddy the flea
and louie the songdog – to
bugtussle s only real pond
called greene acres lake

while louie freddy and i
pitched our tents and
prepared our campsite
sammy headed straight for
the lake and dived in
he was already having
the time of his life

louie the incurable optimist
was singing and whistling
while he worked of course
he was just finishing the
fifth verse of michael row
the boat ashore when
sammy came hurtling toward
us like a torpedo

there s a strange-looking
bird out there in the water
and it s making weird noises

just then all four of us heard
this eerie warbly yet piercing
wail – it rattled our nerves
a bit boss – and i wasn t nearly
as excited as sammy about
meeting this new monstrosity

hurry up guys sammy says
he might fly away

one can only hope says me
a bit sarcastically

now amos we might make
a new friend says louie
way too cheerfully

yeah one that screams in
the night says me

yeah and maybe carries
axes or chain saws under
his wings says freddy
somewhat fearfully

oh you guys are silly
says sammy and off he
went like the little water
torpedo he was

freddy and i reluctantly
jumped on the back of louie
and we started dogpaddling
slowly to our death we thought

after another long piercing
otherworldy wail during which
freddy and i buried ourselves
deeper in louie s fur
we arrived in front of a large
duck-like bird swimming in
circles in the middle of the lake

hello mister bird sang out louie
how are you tonight

oh i m fine says he but i m
missing my mind have you
seen anything of the kind

no says me what does it
look like

oh nobody knows says he

then how do you know
when you find it says freddy

oh you just know cause that s
what a mind does says he
in fact i may have already
found it

whaddya mean says me
i really think you ve lost your brain

that s just it says he when you
know you ve lost it then you ve
really found it for it s in giving
away that you really receive

you re talking in circles you loon

that s just it says he i am a loon
just as you say and i have a brain
here let me explain says he
when you think you re smart
you re really not
but when you think you re dumb
then you re pretty bright
for example the oracle at delphi
told socrates that he was the wisest
bird on earth because he claimed
to know nothing at all

so you see – it s just like love life or
salvation – the only way you can
keep it or receive it is to give it away

boss  methinks our loony friend offers
more truth than i can grasp in my
little mousy brain 
                                         amos