notebook entry 02.08.11 and 02.10.11

The answer is obvious. The answer sits in front of me as I sit oblivious to its presence. That is until now. Begin with mice. The mice plague which invaded our garage. Due to new construction in nearby fields. How I would find them later in the glue traps, terrified, not yet dead, squealing for mercy. A cruelty on my part. Just as avoidance is cruel. Silence can be cruel. But my point. Spiral from mice to nursery rhymes to Ruth. Introduce the rhyme as a lecture. Perhaps. A poem divided into three themes. Three equal sections.

without Ruth = ruth-less; without showing mercy
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I wanted to say something about showing no mercy
I need to say...
I was going to say...
I should say something...
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How many different ways to explain the same phrase? Words I want to use go unexpressed due to a heavy reservation, resentment. Now I am tired. Drained. I should be trying to arrange today's haiku. Breaking down the poem for Ruth. Reading from the series of books on my reading list. The numerous litany of names—