Today, I went out with a friend to Japan Town in San Francisco. While I was waiting for her outside of the bathroom a young man walked up to me and asked me what time it was. I looked at my cellphone and told him it was four o' clock. He didn't say thank you, but he said something a lot longer and a lot faster. I apologized and said I didn't understand what he was saying. More clearly and slowly he told me, "My girlfriend is going away to grad school and I don't want her to go, so I'm going to break both of her legs." There I was in the middle of a mall, looking at this man's stained teeth.
I don't say anything to him. I walk away. I scramble away. There's a table next to a crêperie; I crawl under it. I hide and chew at my hands, closing my eyes and I am a mouse, nervous and shaking and stupid. Not wanting to be in cities anymore. Wanting only to have a nice little burrow in the countryside with bits of an old apron for my nest, away from people and loud noises. My eyes wide and unblinking. My whiskers brushing. Quiet. Alone.
I am a mouse. A shaking, defenseless, scared, little mouse.
this depiction of your metaphor is particularly strong because you start with a story. Very good. I understand, too. I have that mouse in here sometimes too.
ReplyDeleteYikes...that's not a normal greeting, "...so I'm going to break both of her legs." Weirdo. Great transformation, though. It was great to see how you incorporated a story into your metaphor.
ReplyDeleteAw, Anna, it makes me sad that you feel scared and defenseless - that's no fun! At the same time, I found your Japan Town story incredibly funny! I agree with what Indigo and Cristina said, and I hope you know that inside that mouse somewhere is a powerful, capable, talented Mills woman and a fantastic writer!
ReplyDeleteMice win all the time because they are often under the radar
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Beautiful. I think everyone has a mouse in them at times. I love that you start with a story and it acts as the description of your mouse. It is the foundation of the mouse that is. I love the language of this blog. I know the content isn't meant to be beautiful...it's sad in a sense but I think it's beautiful...in how it's written..how it's been expressed. And though it's described as hiding, scared and alone, I don't take the mouse to be weak. Just know that.Like Elmaz said; mice win every battle because they are fast and usually unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteI think that maybe that was a good person to hide from! I like how you contextualize your metaphor: you're not a mouse all the time.
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