Mice And Men

Pondering on Steinbeck

If I ever met Steinbeck
I would ask him
If he knew the true difference
Between Mice and Men.

John came up out of the fertile dirt
Over in Salinas Valley, California.

If I ever met Steinbeck
I would ask him
If he knew the true difference
Between Mice and Men.

Heart pumping black ink.
Nose scented parchment,
Scratched upon it with a pen.

If I ever met Steinbeck
I would ask him
If he knew the true difference
Between Mice and Men.

Telling the stories of farming, oceans,
Endless loss of the dust bowl family,
In painted words, Steinbeck was a master.

If I ever met Steinbeck
I would ask him
If he knew the true difference
Between Mice and Men.

Novelist, short story writer, war correspondent,
Blended together to make this teller of tales.

If I ever met Steinbeck
I would ask him
If he knew the true difference
Between Mice and Men.

East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men,
Cannery Row, The Red Pony and Pearl,
Kept rolling from his heart and mind.


But I still wonder
If he knew the true difference
Between Mice and Men.