Let me first explain what the poem is about. Susie has a problem. There is a mouse in her kitchen! She knows that the mouse is there – somewhere in the kitchen – and she does not like it. So what does she do? She makes lots of noise when she goes into the kitchen. She does not look in the corners of the room, where the mouse might be. She sings loudly when she puts water in the kettle to boil. She pretends that she does not worry about the mouse at all.

　　The poem then goes on to say that we have secret parts of our lives which are like the mouse in the kitchen. Normally we ignore them. We make lots of noise so that we do not have to see them. And the secret parts of our lives, like the mouse, run away and hide.

　　But perhaps it would be better if we sat quietly and waited. Then we might see these parts of our life, and we would not be afraid of them any more. Just like the mouse in the kitchen!

　　Here is the poem:

　　Approach with confidence,

　　Then fling the door wide,

　　Make a loud stamping noise.

　　Do not look in the corners – That is where it might be,

　　Whisking and darting,

　　A black shadow

　　Running to hide.

　　Sing loudly as you put the kettle

　　on.

　　Pretend a certainty you do not feel

　　That it will not ?€“ horror! ?€“ run over

　　your feet

　　Or pause and stare up at you,

　　Defying your possession of its

　　space.

　　Parts of you

　　Hide in corners too,

　　Not seeing the light,

　　Muttering and grumbling,

　　Too low to be heard.

　　Mostly you avert your gaze

　　And make too much noise

　　To confront them.

　　So they run away

　　And hide in the secret places.

　　But perhaps

　　You should quietly tiptoe

　　To the corner and wait.

　　And then you might see,

　　And not be afraid

　　Of what lives in the dark.

　　Poem originally published in Quaker Monthly, March 2008. Reproduced here by permission.