The Great Survivor


One is never more than five yards from a rat
I read in my local paper, there are non in my
Cottage and it has no basement as it is build
Straight on solid rocks which makes it very
Cold in the winter.

There are mice under the roof tiles, cute little
Ones smaller than my thumb, they are very
Quite unlike the sparrow that make a hell of
A racket at dawn, not to forget the cats that
Use my roof as a hunting ground, but no rats.

At the supermarket I saw a rat coming up from
A storm drain, it looked at me, decided I was
A coward and began picking up bread crumbs,
It looked like a bruiser had boxer’s ears and
A menacing, slowly rotating whiplash tail.

A woman, carrying a bag of groceries, came
“Look” I croaked, “a rat.” Hysterical screams.
The rat disappeared, a guard came running and
looked almost like a police officer, “we will get
that rat, he said” and spoke into his mobile.

A kind man was helping the woman to pick up
The groceries she had dropped, I heard someone
Say he had seen rats here before. “shouldn’t be
Allowed, rats near a supermarket,” a woman said.
Never more than five years…it’s spooky.