The Epic Of Ratman Poem by felix paintwhenpainted

here lies a sea of graves
but atop it was a city pave
a city which sings and swells
simmers, glows and smells

beneath its dusty streets
hiding in tunnels away from the heat
hides the not-yet-broken ratman
back bent, vertebra spread out like a fan
sweat seeping through his graying hair
muscles stretch and strain, threatening to tear

sniffing nose leading him deeper down the tunnel depths
twisted form clutching down the slippery steps
crumbling rocks slowly flaking
subways roar above, roof shaking

tunnel winding around
deep dark pits abound
wandering further into the darkening mess
far away from the city that ratman detests

in to the domain of noisy pitch white bats
squeaking at the remains of skeletons in city worker hats
forgotten by the world above
tunnels to ratman’s last remaining love
tunnels leading to his heart
cut from his chest and kept apart
hidden from them that would seek it harm
the creatures in the dark protecting it like a vigilant alarm

he had to lock it away down here in nowhere
or like every other muscle in his body it would start to tear
kept safe in a special crate
kept safe from his wretched self hate
he buried it under a pile of skulls as deep as the sea
and used acid to eradicate the key
a solid steel crate that would be untouchable by saws
leaving no way in for his filthy hating claws

ratman crept through one last rotting door
sniffed and inspected the bone meal floor
dust of disintegrated bones
intermingled with tiny gray stones
claws digging through the sea of dust
throwing up bones in a speedy fuss
digging deeper into the sea of graves
decaying bodies flying up from his hole in waves

claws strike metal
waits for the flying dust to settle
forgotten manhole covered in rust
left to guard beneath the sea with utter trust
ratman broke open the rusted circle
expressing his satisfaction with an audible gurgle
lowering himself into the darkest hole
below the sea of graves, forgotten by almost every soul
down in the dark there is almost no sound
no light either, nothing to be found
but rat man knows the way
remembered it all for when there would come a reckoning day
clawing his way down the dry walls
past no-longer-beating pots and boxes, kept down here by others to protect against all
so many other’s must have had the same idea: to put their heart in a box
so many wanting to keep it safe, some even put theirs in a sock
heaps of now dead tickers
put here then forgotten, away from momentary flickers
thousands of messy hearty piles
over the years by time defiled
all stopped beating
frozen to death, away from any heating

as their long lost hosts died
hearts were left behind, more and more, growing like the tide
cramming the corridors and passages
making it hard for ratman to find his own heart amongst all the other stashes

piling through the heaps of hearts in holes
eventually ratman found his everlasting soul
in its old metal crate
patiently awaiting fate
ratman empties the bottle of acid
evaporating the steel, Revealing a heart so placid
with one vicious hungry pounce
ratman destroyed his heart, every ounce
no more beating
just sharp teeth gleaming
heart now gone
silenced song

revealed now, his wicked plan
destroy the evidence, let nobody ever ask “who was the ratman? ”