Of Mice and Men Poem

A special book you may recall,
A gift from god for us all
With memories that will never be gone,
We thank the Steinbeck by the name of John.

Based on Robert Burns’ poem, of a mouse not a rat,
Starting off with two workers in two “shapeless hats”.
The “bear-like” Lennie, with soft things in need
Supported by George, after running from Weed.

As itinerant workers, they move to their next land,
Where they meet the old swamper, with a stump for a hand;
The gossiping Candy with a significant cheque
Had an irrelevant dog, shot in the back of the neck.

So, "who shot the dog?", you may probably ask,
A worker called Carlson, who found it quite an easy task.
A pretty cruel guy, who's ready to use his gun,
Similar to Curley, due to his lack of fun.

But Curley is different, if you look at him closely.
With his feminine demeanour, and actions quite lowly.
With "the prince of the ranch", he will look for a fight,
But cowers away because of his height.

He was Slim - the perfect one,
The archetypal cowboy, loved by everyone.
He may have not been a member of the aristocracy
But in terms of position on the ranch, he excelled in meritocracy.

Then there's Curley’s wife, given names such as “tramp” and “tart”,
Whose husband, most certainly did not capture her heart.
Her lack of a name shows her true importance,
Probably why she ended up dead, not keeping her distance.

And now we move on to the cynical stable buck,
Forever facing segregation - very bad luck,
This marginalised character gives us a sense of ambivalence.
He can be quite kind, but through his words, shows violence.

And finally a character you may not recall,
Who is mentioned maybe once or twice overall,
A typical worker who is strong and fit,
Who represents the reader and is known as Whit.

In a period of despair, during the Great Depression,
A chain reaction from the 1929 recession.
With power, prejudice and isolation to entice,
Here lies the tale of two men and mice.