i was peacefully watching tele
involved in scotch
and quite a full belly
when from the kitchen rustlings came
i knew that there was no-one home
my flatmates errant
rage, rave and roam
so for rustlings someone else to blame
i crept up slow and took a look
there was a rat
intently chewing on my book
oh you rodent shame shame shame
the warrior within me woke
i grabbed a hefty stick
then that heathenous rat did poke
one mighty blow did smite it lame
poor little rat
wobbled and crawled
towards the door but that’s not that
now i must take a different tone
some remorse had found a home
within my breast once raging pure
now dwelled a feeling not unlike manure
I killed it dead
and without compunction
sent it sewerly ahead
I don’t like killing
but let the message be clear
only vermin right willing
to die
should enter here
I Say to Admire:
As usual, your content(s) do(es) not disappoint. Your pennings enrich, and although they could chance a spot of editing, I am thankful for them.
appreciate your comment
yes, a few things I have posted lately have been fresh off the bench and need some work
cheers
Jess
why do the stanza breaks
show in the preview but not the poem? This is shitting me.
There's a filter
There’s a filter - It takes out some garbage you get when you paste direct from MS Word. You won’t believe the stuff they have embedded - it can (and has!) muck up the whole site. But yes, maybe some things in the filter are too aggressive. Send me the original source MS Word file and I’ll take a look.
Thanks for that
will check my spell here from now on and take the time to transcribe :)
Mark
Right willin' indeed!
I really like the last five lines! You dwell in a dark world, don’t you, fraught with humor? Intriguing & interesting, weirdelf!
Reverend Bec Hudson
Shine Your Light
It’s the ONLY Way to Get Rid of the Darkness!
A common thing shared among us ...
I do so hate when a trap,or shot from my high power vermin rifle doesn’t kill out right ,I hate even to see the struggle of a cage trapped rat,I do so wish they would pick up the scent of their dead and stay away.
alas I am also a bit in envy of their instinct for survival Hum…. Me feels a haiku coming from here. Could that be Weird inspiration?
in Ink,
IKnow..
I am amazed
that I never read this before. I am ALSO amazed, after reading this that you are not Chuck’s illegitimate(sic?) son. I felt equal measure compassion and disgust for the rat, and it has not escaped me that you many times call yourself a “rat.” Interesting. Your language use, classical and much like Tolkien. I’m impressed Jess. Yes, I’m impressed.
Mark W.
Actually I call myself a "ratbag"
Very different thing, a ratbag is a stirrer, mischief-maker, it is more a term of endearment amongst other troublemakers, you silly ol’ ratbag
cheers,
Jess
you know
I was thinking as I typed that: “he calls himself rat, rat, rat… oh what the hell is it???” RATBAG! Brilliant!
Mark W.
yep! a whole bloody bag of rats!
I suspect the term comes from the trade of rat-catchers in medieval times who could be relied on to supplement their meagre incomes by any means posible and keep up their spirits at their low social standing with a cheeky sense of humour.
Expect anything!
cheers,
Jess
Liked your poem...
I have had the same experiences in feeling kind of bad about killing mice…but only for a fleeting moment.
Have a great day,
Wolfycat
Weirdelf
thanks lady, glad you like it
what editing would you suggest, specifically?
I purposely left it un-capped and un-punctuated for stylisitc simplicity,
does it lose meaning somewhere?
cheers,
Jess
Rats scare the hell out of
Rats scare the hell out of me and mice too. This poem I can relate to - especially the last lines.
Kaz
It’s impossible to smile on the outside without feeling better on the inside.
Not to feel bad, Jess, as it
Not to feel bad, Jess, as it is clear that it was him or you(r book) A clear cut case of self-defense! LOL!
Always, Cat
Cool story
Cool story about killing a rat. They’re fast! I know it’s usually not easy to get ‘em. You deserve a trophy.
Mark
Funny Story
Smiles:)
Barbara
Can’t catch those critters, besides I’m afraid to hit them, But will feed them their last meal with some ——-.
Really enjoyed reading.
Capitalization wher needed
serves it right!
Chewing on a BOOK??? *gasp*
Little bastard! Eat the furniture, but leave the books alone!
Actually, I would have screamed like a … well, girl. We get enough mice out here (even with three obviously quite useless cats in the house), a rat would make me move.
I could have used you and your weapon of choice here one night not so long ago. Upon opening a drawer, I found a fat and happy mouse staring back at me. As if it would make it disappear, I slammed the drawer shut. When I went to get my sixteen year old son to take care of it (or at least set the damned trap), he screamed like a bitch as soon as the mouse moved. Nice. I ended up putting in two glue traps and one traditional trap. Do you think it killed it right away? No. It ended up in the trap, stuck to both glue traps and still alive, flopping around in the drawer. Eventually the flopping stopped and I plucked it out with a pair of pliers, threw it in the trash, and took the entire bag out the back door.
See what you made me think of?? LOL
Ronda
Nice Work
Hey Hey Hey keep putting together pieces of the puzzle.The rat knew the situation the book wasn’t edible so it was trying to piss you off, if you had the chance you would probably do it again.
oh yes!
Ever read Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake? Has the most evil character in literature, Steerpike (watch out if I ever change my nick to that, it’s been known to happen) not just a serial killer, he burnt down a library!
cheers,
Jess