Monday, August 11, 2014

Darkness comes


When darkness comes rats are ready
By the hundreds they've primped and groomed 
.
They're slinking around, teeth are sharp
Slick, greasy, dragging hairy tails 
.
Rats will come to your castle home
They will come to my shack as well 
.
Before the dusk we must prepare
Keep the lights on, they'll stay away
 .
Photo, poem copyright, ©  Jimmiehov 2009, 2014, all rights reserved
 
Today I am linked with Grace at the Real Toads, Sunday's mini Challenge (link)

Grace introduced us to Gabriela Mistral and her poems.  This one of hers here below was inspiration for my attempt to show how it affected me.  I used the dusk idea, the animal too. 

Dusk

I feel my heart melting
in the mildness like candles:
my veins are slow oil
and not wine,
and I feel my life fleeing
hushed and gentle like the gazelle.

I was also inspired by Ms. Mistral's poem, Woman:  The Mad One (click to read it, three pages long).  It is a tale of what a concubine woman would experience when her 'master' would come up the stairs for their conjugal visit.  Nothing explicit, much implied was her style of writing.  It was a little scary.

That in turn reminded me of the rats who used to come into the shack where I was on guard at a radar site out in the middle of the desert.  I was in the Army, stationed with a group who had several Nike Missile Radar sites scattered over a few thousand acres in Texas 

We took turns staying in the 'shack' pulling guard duty.  We were allowed to sleep.  But I would always keep the lights on which meant getting up, going out, and refueling the generators in the middle of the night.  Otherwise the RATS WOULD COME, running up and down the braces on the wall, nailed to the stud boards.  I think a few of did get bitten by rats.

Could never let the lights go out 
If so those rats would surely come
 

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10 Comments:

At Monday, August 11, 2014 6:53:00 AM, Blogger Sumana Roy said...

rats always remind me of the pied piper...sigh..

 
At Monday, August 11, 2014 10:02:00 AM, Blogger brudberg said...

Rats!, now my electricity bill will be higher..

 
At Monday, August 11, 2014 10:21:00 AM, Blogger 21 Wits said...

Oh my if I knew they were for sure to arrive I'd leave more ready than the lights!

 
At Monday, August 11, 2014 11:35:00 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

Until a year ago, I lived on 4 acres that abutted a 500 acre preserve. Wildlife abounded, including desert packrats. I learned with certitude that nature will always win, in the end. One must scrap and scrape to maintain some human space!

http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2014/08/08/patterns/

 
At Monday, August 11, 2014 12:19:00 PM, Blogger Helen said...

Mr. Jim! Love how you weave together poetry and personal stories!!!

 
At Monday, August 11, 2014 5:58:00 PM, Blogger Grace said...

I will be scared of those rat coming around & will not get much sleep, yikes ~ Thanks for the back story as it made me appreciate your verses ~ Thanks for the personal share Jim ~ Wishing you happy week ~

 
At Tuesday, August 12, 2014 4:27:00 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

Eek, what a frightening thought! It reminds me of H.P. Lovecraft's story, The Rats in the Walls.
Thank you so much for visiting Poetry of the Netherworld.

 
At Tuesday, August 12, 2014 5:05:00 AM, Blogger Vandana Sharma said...

i will call a pied piper!

 
At Tuesday, August 12, 2014 6:13:00 PM, Blogger audrey` said...

Hi Dr & Mrs Jim :) Our child dislikes rats very much, except Minnie Mouse.

 
At Wednesday, August 13, 2014 5:38:00 AM, Blogger Marian said...

interesting.... may as well keep the lights on.

 

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