Cheese

I looked in the refrigerator
and nothing was there
all of the shelves were pretty bare
except for some moldy cheese in a box
used mainly to bait the traps in the loft
and in the sheds and other places too
that are used for controlling the rats
without which they would quickly overrun
all of the areas under the sheds
between the fences and in the stone walls
that surround the ponds and the waterfalls.

Tropical Birds

I used to keep birds many years ago
the ones of the exotic kind
and those same sheds were different then
and were aviaries built of wood and wire
the rats at that time were really bad
and it made feel so sad
as they picked off the birds one by one
until in desperation I knew
that in order to save the remaining few
I opened the cages and set them free
as more chance would  they have with their liberty
than they would from the rats that I could not see.

Rats

Apart from the fact that damage they do
eating on anything in order to see
if it was food or maybe because
they were bored with their life
and just needed to chew.

They also pee wherever they are
and it’s not hard to tell that rats do abound
as the smell is so bad that when opening the door
its best to wait a few minutes before
entering the shed for whatever the cause
or risk throwing up all over the floor.

I exaggerate of course as it’s not quite that bad
but the smell is still pretty strong it has to be said
strong enough that the urge is quite clear
they got to go as its me or them and I fear
that if I do nothing they will breed just like rats
and probably grow bigger than cats.

Two of the dogs are real hunters its true
and they are always looking for rats
and between them they have caught a few
more than the bloody cats who are not
hunters by far as indoors they live
and sleep all day long as well as get fed.

I know a friend of a friend
whose four dachshunds were found
dead on the grass behind their home
a neighbor had put poison down
for the rats who ate it and came out to die
only to be found by the dogs one by one
who ate them so that they too
ingested the poison and it did its work
not knowing the difference between dog and rat

Rat Trap

That is why I have to use traps
as the same problem would be mine
I am careful to keep the traps up high
after giving it some thought
or the dogs, their noses would be caught

I hate to kill any living thing
but I have hardened myself there is no other way
if I do nothing as I did before
losing the birds one by one
in the rock walls of the ponds the rats they do climb
and burrowing out long tunnels to hide
and breed and it will only be a matter of time
before they will damage the ponds giving me
one hell of a problem to try to repair
the liner that currently holds the water there.

The dogs as I said go sniffing around
and if a rat smell they may have found
they too start digging and not caring where
do damage the rock walls and the liner that’s there
and can do worse damage than all of the rats
for their digging is stronger if given the chance

So I feel I have no other choice
at least to have some semblance of control
If I can’t drive them away by other means
then trap them I must to save problems down the road.

I watched one of the rats, probably the mom
carry all of her daughters and sons one by one
in her mouth as she made her way across a ledge
into the wall moving her original nest
even as nasty as the rats are
I couldn’t help admire how nature is so strong
that for whatever the reason she had made up her mind
to carry her babies in her mouth one by one
to a new place of abode that suited her more.

The battle goes on as we pit our wits
my brain against their will to live
and to inhabit my sheds and garden too
my next move I haven’t a clue
probably keep baiting the traps
in the hope that one day
I will have frightened them away.

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