Free Roaming.

I have had many pet rats over the years, and they never failed to delight me, from their little ratty faces and hands, to their abilities in climbing. They are intelligent little creatures, and I was always trying to find new ways of entertaining them. What they did love, was free-roaming time in a closed off room. This poem is about those times.

A handful of twitching whiskers and intelligence,

You use your little star-shaped hands to grasp the bars

And poke your delicate nose through the gaps

Asking for treats.

I open the cage door

And you hold on, your back legs

Hop, quickly, so agile, and you're free.

A Cheerio is a favourite. You stop for a nibble.

Sunflower seeds are scattered

Around the carpeted floor.

You stop, manipulate the husk with your tiny hands

Your orange teeth

Help you to free the fatty goodness inside.

I find little piles of discarded humbug coloured shells

Underneath furniture.

Your adventure begins

And you scale mountain tops

Of books, a sofa, a human leg,

Using your tail like a rope

You curve it around corners and angles

Never falling.

You are the king and conqueror

Of your climbing travels.

You scale a steeper trail,

Settling down in a soft human neck

Chirping and snuffling

In contentment.

Life is good

For a treasured pet rat.