i sat in the lab morning and night
watched the experimental mice move homes
between one and the other room

small in size and small inside the head
how their bodies slugged against the floor
how their whiskers weighed down their face

running to the other side to find their love
clicking on the left door and finding none
tapping on the right door and given food

and what good is that,
feeding pennies into a slot machine
even after the casino's closed.