Unwanted Guests

I opened the drawer
looking for turmeric, or some other thing
Instead I found a writhing bag of mouse
Mouse babies
The mother staring at me as if to say
What will you do now that you’ve found us?
Bay leaves take on a new meaning
no longer the fragrant simmering essence of dinner
But instead a nest
a nest of mouse
I was shocked and repulsed but could not look away
Their tiny pink bodies squirming and tumbling as if
the light was the threat
not me
I could not look away
I could not watch
My husband lifts the shredded baggy of leaves
gently from the drawer, one pink body left behind
Its mother watching while it squirms
Helpless
We are both helpless