Rat Poetry: The Beginning...

"La Mort De Niccolo"
He was a rat
He was quite small
He met my cat
I took her off.
But she had tried
To bite his ball
And so he died.
My hat, I doff.

--Nicodemus (2009--original)


"Not safe in his Alabaster Chamber--"
Not safe in his Alabaster Chamber--
But cruelly disposed of by Chris in the trash.
Sleeps little Niccolo, sweet baby Rat---
Rafter of pizza box,
And Roof of coffee grounds.

Yet light laughs the Leah,
Horrid Kitty of my brother--
Babbles the Feline in a wee rodent's fuzzy ear,
Pipe the Wretched Cats in ignorant cadence---
Ah, what sweet ratness perished here!

---Tracinator (with a nod to Emily Dickinson)

"Four Weddings and a Funeral for a Rat Blues"
Stop all the clocks, cut off the iPhone,
Prevent the cats from miaowing with a rodent bone,
Silence the Fenders and with muffled drum
Bring out the (tiny) coffin, let the mourners come.

Let trash collectors circle round the blocks
Waiting to pick up his pizza box
Niccolo inside, beribboned neck,
Except Chris threw him out! What the heck????

He was my rodent, my Nic, my Scab, my *rat*,
'Til he was nipped at by my brother's evil cat,
My pest, my vermin, fleas around his head,
I thought that love would last forever. He is dead.

The pizza box is empty. There's no coffin
Just the bag the trash collect'rs'll carry him off in (groan)
Pour another beer, sweep up the wood,
For now he'll no more nibble at my food.

--Nicodemus (with a nod to W.H. Auden)


"Rat, be not dead"
Rat, be not dead, though some have mauled thee,
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
No longer, no; thou stink'st, that smell could make me throw,
Die not, poore rat, nor yet canst thou bestill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou enslave with fleabite, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, plague, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, no more to wake betide,
And rat shall be no more; rat, thou hast died.

--Nicodemus (with a nod to John Donne)


"Rat Graveyard"
rat art
love vole
Niccolo coolin' c (yick)
asleep please
death hated

--Tracinator (with a nod to Robert Morgan)


"N(i"
N(i
cc
olo.
be
au
ti
ful
rat)
o
lo
ng
er
wi
th
us.

--Tracinator (with a nod to e.e. cummings)