1/24/2007

To the rats

Dear rats:
I know it's been very cold lately--downright frigid, even. And I'm sorry that it's difficult to find a warm place to sleep outside, especially since the recent construction has eliminated all the steamy mulch piles along California Ave. But good news is ahead--the days are getting warmer so you won't be as desperate for a cozy space in the near future.

So small-talk aside, let me just say that it's not in your best interests to continue seeking shelter and warmth under my car hood. And if you do so, your days may well be numbered (yes, that IS A THREAT). Because today, when I was writing that $700 check to the car dealer for the repairs made to my engine for rat damage, let me tell you that I was feeling rather ungenerous at that moment. Especially when I realized that that much dough could've bought you and your posse a pretty nice trip to some warm Caribbean island, where you could be sipping pina coladas and working on your tan lines, watching the rat babes in their trendy brazilian-cut bikinis and whistling at a lot of nice tail. But instead you were frolicking around under my hood, sucking oil out of frayed hoses, sharpening your incisors on electrical cords of various sizes--including those that allow the engine to revv up and get all warm and cozy to begin with. And can I just tell you that imbibing petroleum products is NOT GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH! You could get cancer that way, you know.

And I'll have you know that this wasn't just any car that you were tampering with, but is a vintage model station wagon, the likes of which are impossible to find on resale lots. So DO NOT MESS WITH THE CAR or you might be finding yourself with a new set of cement shoes. Capice?
Sincerely,
pilgrimgirl

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe this guy is to blame?

Anonymous said...

I am concerned about you internalizing your feelings this way. You really need to let them out and express what you really think….

Brooke said...

Love this. It reminded me of a gentler letter you wrote to the spider in your car (which inspired me to write a poem a couple of months ago so because you reminded me of it, I had to post it).

jana said...

Yes, Ryan, the rats were most definitely of the ratfink variety. Ugh!

And to Brooke: I found it much more difficult to write kindly to the rats than to the spider. Have I mentioned that I am rat-phobic? Like you can put me in a cage with just about any animal and I'm fine as long as it isn't of the rodent variety. For me, hell would be a place filled with ROUSS's. And can I say just how convenient it is that I like to cohabitate with cats. :)
Oh, and Brooke: your poem is absolutely lovely. The kind of writing that makes me take a deep sigh and pause for a minute with my eyes closed as it washes over me.

Tanya: One of the most difficult aspects of my pacifism and my belief in showing kindness to all species, is the challenge of rodents. Like the gophers that inhabit (and sometimes wreak havoc) in my garden. How to love them and appreciate their unique and important role in the ecosystem? Oh, it is a very hard thing, indeed.

John White said...

Rat-phobic? Indiana Jone's phobia EATS your phobia.

I don't actually find it a problem to love gophers. Delicious!

jana said...

I wouldn't say that Indy's phobia is worse than mine. Had I been faced with a ratlined tunnel I would have become incontinent and then I would've melted into a little steaming puddle like the witch in the Wizard of Oz.