the rat, written in 2004

[metaphorliteral]

To run and hide, and curl into yourself,
And cover your bright eyes with shaking paws,
And crouch in a small corner 'neath a shelf,
And dodge the feline's teeth and needled claws--
But also to sleep in a furry pile
Surrounded by your siblings and your friends,
To steal the cheese and bread with skill and guile,
And nibble through what humans later mend--
To have the whiskers, tail, and tiny paws,
To have the ears to warn you of a cat,
The skill to climb and crawl and sneak and gnaw--
How marvelous, the actions of a rat!

This sleek and clever rodent, I confess,
Held in my hands-- I truly love it best.