ratman

he hid in dark places
played cat and mouse
scurried about furtively
not wanted
abhored
excorciated
decimated
incriminated
he was the ratman

he ate from a can
in gutters
from old candy wrappers
dumpsters
brown paper bags
he ate gifts from old hags
and bums
he was the rat man

he wore a coat of gray
a shabby fray
in disarray
a hobbled walk
he never talked
he always dread
what they said
about the rat man

in his final gasp
it was a rasp
he glorified life
in spite
of the horrors he'd seen
he was not mean
he was the rat man

and so he died
no diatribe
about this man
who said, "I can."
he simply went
his life was spent
like a shooting star
behind the bar
he was the rat man