The Rat and I, A veteran's perspective on the death of an enemy. *** Options

[Thoth]

Beneath the lean-to behind my garage
was a cage-trap, baited with grain some days before.
Movement caught my eye;
a big pied roof-rat – cowered in the corner.

Poison bait had wreaked havoc on those rodents
residing above our ceiling yet
this individual had evidently declined the blue toxic pellets,
preferring healthy bird seed instead.

Approaching the cage;
it sensed my intent and screamed,
darting from corner to corner of its prison cell.
I lifted the trap; panic turned to aggression,
it flew at the enemy! Thankfully, steel mesh intervened.
Snarling and snapping like a predator, it viciously attacked the wire,
scrambling round and around seeking a weak point.

Alarmed, I kept my hands well clear as I walked to the pond.
At the water, aggression reverted to panic, then pathos.
It understood what was coming!

It pleaded for life - unmoved, I lowered the cage.
Drowning was not quick - rats are excellent swimmers
This one was incredibly strong and
never gave up trying to escape, swimming back and forth until
finally, ejecting its last breath it succumbed and was still.

Another minute - to make sure.

Affected by the sheer force of character of this small mammal,
my thoughts strayed, seeking a human counterpart.
Back in my dim past, and the war days of long ago,
such tenacity, termed “A Good Death”
could be recalled in just a handful
of larger-than-life patriarchs.

Under different circumstances;
perhaps fighting an ”Alien Invasion” . . .
I glimpsed myself proudly serving beside
such brave Earthlings as this . . .

Unsettled, I resisted the temptation to
place a stone over the spot on the compost heap.

We’re not that different really;
the Rat and I.

[Alan]

Dear Wally,

Not that different ? So do post HIS poem about the experience when you get it !

Very dramatic, one spelling - weAk !

Love
Alan

[Merlin]

Hi Wally,
what a grand read this morning.
Sure brought a number of recollections to mind - among them the rats that had found their way into the coolers we had in the food processing plant where I worked for some 10+ years as maintenance electrician. Somehow they found a way in via styrofoam insulation and lived in the freezing environment, with never a care where the next meal came from. There were tons of veggies inside. Of course, a thicker coat was necessary.

You've caught the emotional side here as well.

Merlin