In Warsaw
some lived in the city sewers
Jews and resistance fighters
along with the rats.

That was back then
now the rats nibble through time
and pop-out headfirst
whiskers twitching expectantly
as if waiting
for the next genocidal outbreak,
the next zombie shuffle
in new loafers
or old jackboots.

The rats have to eat.
We can resist
but the sewers are always rising.
The madness always there
swimming rat-like towards us.

Sometimes you can see
pink naked paws
hiding in carpet slippers,
slippers that shamble
over linoleum floors
until pronounced sane-

or until the sewers overflow
again.








(C) Eric Ashford June 08