castirongoldfish

2/7/2008, Dara

consider the rat
as he examines the remains of the old year
with a professional scavenger's eye
he sifts though the debris
the piles of rubble, the molding stacks of paper
the heaps of old toys and broken things
his sharp claws dig and pry
looking for tasty morsels and shiny bits left behind

half a chocolate bar
a lost set of keys
his prizes are few, and he understands why
he knows the appetite of the one who came before him
the owner of the old year
not the timid rabbit but the greedy pig
and recognizes the marks of teeth and tusks
and sees the marks of hooves
that crushed whatever could not be eaten

but the rat by nature is not one to dwell or brood
nose twitching, whiskers alert
he turns hopefully toward the year to come