The rat expired in the straw
In the temple
Because of a cat
The dark rat had soft black fur and was still warm from life
Now there was no life in rat’s shining eyes fixed in one direction
It was left alone in the dark
and sometime later
The rat’s loved ones came looking and they found him still and frozen in the cold night
And lifted him up on their soft supple shoulders and carried him solemnly toward their home between the inside and the outside
Where they washed his body and cleaned him and wrapped him in a black handkerchief and spoke lovingly and said prayers and pressed
cottonwood fuzz underneath and around the body for care and cushion
They carefully used their little rat hands to add more offerings such as shiny paper clips and jute string and twist ties and cracker crumbs
These were surrounding the deceased,
facing up and not down,
in final rest
From the exhausting and exhilarating life of being a rat.
(Based on a true story)