Rat-S

This morning through the window in the bush A different shaking of the shrubs A furtive flash of frantic feet, a pause, a hush And then the beady eyes, stubs Of whiskers and hairy form: a sly, wanton rat! The pest of homes, the frigid fear that genders Fright. There it is free outside Majestic creature in native site there meanders Alarming niether hate nor pride And I troubled that I am comfortable with that. Not in my house, but parliament and offices high In sleek talking men, and smile The rats have taken over, and we in silence ply Their debris hunger, their style Nocturnal, non-transparent, germ laden droppings The rat is gone - to hide, but there another one! In the undergrowth and secret Place, these scavengers cleans the foul environ From our bad habits come regret We encourage them by our frivolous nappings Rats now, where only one I saw before. The first Is safely hid now from the eyes And the others wander among us free like a curse Agents of nature that we despise The droppings that reveal our own callous neglect There is something in that from a distance looking Something so suave about a rat I could admire them outside my house, they bring No threat to me, no illness for that The ones in positions of trust fringe so our respect.