Where The Gods And Rats Watch

Interestingly, this week’s poem had me thinking back to the fantasy poems I was writing for the blog a little bit ago, because I got into that similar sort of fantasy headspace for this one, which was inspired by ‘115’ by Elena Siegman and Kevin Sherwood (from the Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies soundtrack). As with the other poems, I’ve embedded the song below so you can listen while you read if you’d like to, and I hope you enjoy this one!

First Poem In This Series: To Witness, To Behold, inspired by ‘Sowing The Seeds Of Love’ by Tears For Fears

Previous Poem In This Series: Teenage Odyssey, inspired by ‘Wind Me Up’ by Extreme

Where The Gods And Rats Watch

Beneath the living, there was another,
his lungs collapsing, his feet torn,
forcing each step, throwing himself
further and further, circular brick
becoming cavernous, liquid filth
trickling, then rushing beside him
as one companion, but behind?

It had wide, crackling purple eyes,
and that was all he needed to know.

His forced retreat, a death march
to an uncertain destination,
wore on his mortal body–
the hair slicked to skin by sweat,
the fingerprints sanded by rough corners,
and there–then!–the whistle, an omen
for the swell of impossible energy, flying–

So close to his ear that his footsteps,
heartbeat, panting breaths–all disappeared.

Life returned in a rushing moment,
gripping his veins, a stranglehold,
lashing them as reins, onwards,
deeper and deeper, into a darkness
lit only by the enemy–by it—
until: within hopelessness,
stone, once brick, revealed wood.

The symbol on the sea of barrels
was universal, and opportunity shone.

How improbable–how impossible–
how ridiculous, perhaps–
he couldn’t count, but knew, before
the plan was even formed, it was enough,
and he was selfish; but who is not selfish
in terror, with imploding lungs–
enough to exchange the ‘im’?

No whistle–he leapt, and in falling,
he heard it, the piercing omen.

In the split-second between decimation
and being a complete but haggard being,
he had not the filth nor the creature
for company; only the matter within his head,
which whispered, in order to soothe,
the words to follow him into obliteration:
I will not go alone.

*

When the remains of the city guard
scoured the remains of the city,
they said it was as if a dragon
had swallowed it whole;
he had thought of and condemned them all
but they would never know of him,
the knowledge kept only to gods and rats.

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