Home » Poems » Alexander Blackie » The Rat Race

The Rat Race

Listen to poem:

We're furry and coloured grey, brown, or black Be-whiskered and sleek and reeking of fat We'll squeeze through a hole, a gap, or a crack For rotting flesh or dry bones to gnaw at Four-legged dealers of lingering death Malodorous creatures crawling with fleas Exhaling our pungent foul-smelling breath Urine and droppings on foodstuffs we squeeze Our bellies swollen feasting in famine Scrape on the ground as we scurry in swarms Our carte du jour is often Scotch salmon But our tastes transcend conventional norms Some hang up meat to improve the flavour We like ours scabrous and oozing with pus Seasoned with still soft faeces to savour But with or without we don't make a fuss Our long yellow teeth are honed to the point Where nothing's too hard for us to devour Bone marrow, muscle, fat, gristle, or joint We’ll crunch them with relish in half an hour You clearly love us – we’re treated like kings The streets are knee-deep in tit-bits half-chewed Hot dogs, hamburgers and delicious things Like deep fried chicken or vomit you've spewed We're stealthy and brave there’s naught we don’t dare To avoid rat-catchers putting us down But once in Hamelin pipes played a strange air That drew us deep in the river to drown Next time you hear a scuffle or squeaking In a cavity wall or from the floor It might be us foraging and seeking To build a little nest and breed some more…

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem.

Please Login to post a comment

A comment has not been posted for this poem. Encourage a poet by being the first to comment.