Dining With Rats

Another spin off effect of the pandemic! https://www.theweek.co.uk/odd-news/107384/cannibal-rats-on-the-march-in-britain?channel=outbrain&utm_source=outbrain.com&utm_medium=Display&utm_campaign=ps_sha

In these lockdown,

Covid days,

restaurant alleyways

are bereft of food,

not a scrap of waste

to be had.

 

Empty bins

leaves empty mouths

and so hungry bellies

go in search

of domestic pickings.

 

Leaving the sewers

behind they invade

our gardens in search

of discarded

household morsels.

 

More work then

for the rat catcher

as this muroid rodent

invades our space

to tear open

plastic bin liners

and scoff every crumb

they find.

 

But these secretive

scurrying creatures,

with twitching noses

don't stop there;

in their desperate search

for a meal

they eat their own

offspring.

 

28/09/20

Author's Note

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I love when people write about weird news items that are far outside the usual fare for covid blathering (or whatever is filling the airwaves). This is that. It's well done becuz your descriptions are a little yukky but mostly realistic vivid which paints a scene that makes the reader visualize & shudder (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you Margie. Those little news items are indeed a relief from you know what!

[Gee]

So the old saying " never more than 6 feet from a rat " may now be true.
See loads of them around Milton Keynes especially where fast food outlets are clumped together.
This well written piece gets you to thinking.
Good morning John

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Hi Gee, good to see you. Yyeah Milton Keynes is famous for it's cows AND rats. Many thanks.

[Kari Rakitan]

I personally haven't seen any rats since the pandemic started, but we do have a minor ant problem. I speculate that our apartment manager may be laying out rat poison to nip the potential problem in the bud. We didn't tell our apartment manager about the ants because we know how to handle them and I don't want to expose my fetus to super toxic chemicals. The solution is to spread lemon oil around the outside of garbage cans, around doorways and windows, or any other place they might find their way in. The ants won't cross a lemon oil barrier for some strange reason. That reminds me . . . Husband made a mess of the garbage can and just cleaned it, so I need to put a fresh layer of lemon oil on the outside.

Thanks for the song too!

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Hi Kari, that is a good idea we have lots of ants in the garden but this year not many in the house. Good luck with your pregnancy and hey how lucky, a husband who cleans up his own mess lol. Thanks for reading.

[X]

With the increase of the homeless population around the streets we have had problems with rats...it is horrible but we managed to get rid of them for now. Have a great day!

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Get rid of the rats of the homeless lol! This is a true phenomenon of lockdown. Many thanks Kira.

[Chris Shaw]

Desperate measures in desperate days. Have I any sympathy for rats though? Not at all John and the less they breed the better. Sends shivers down my spine... Well penned and good morning to you.

Chris

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Some people love them. Like pet mice but bigger! Many thanks and good morning Chris.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Kind of like the book, "Alive"....we do anything to survive, just like the rats...and these
days many are eating their own.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

It sure is a dog eat dog world for many Jacob. We now have Azerbaijan and Armenia at each other's throats. Many thanks Jacob.