Rat Immortal

Rat! A rat!That unseelie presence that lingered at the marginsOf crepe-lined classrooms in a Douglas suburb.We were warned against the black boxesThat squatted in yard-corners,But no shape broke the pastel peace for weeks on end.Oh, but the day you showed your faceWas well timed, my boy –No such cheers or upturned faces(O the genuine joy of it!)No encouraging bellows, such a delightfulProcessionEver greeted another of your gang, I’d sayFor sureThat dayYou stood atop the red roof-slatesAnd we like disciples followed you,A tiny lean messiah capering in the clouds.In the crowd of screaming childrenI raised my hands with them and screamed tooAnd dreamt that I might standOne dayOn a school roofStare down disgust(And Mrs. Fowler’s flailing broom)Filthy and defiant.