My home. Can you see me?
Every now and again,
When it rains,
The worms come up from the grass for air.
They soak up the moisture
From the damp concrete,
Swelling and expanding.
They’re scooped into my hands as I walk.
Sad, writhing creatures,
Flopping and rolling.
They burst between my fingers,
Their soft entrails
Oozing deliciously across my tongue.
Every now and again,
When it rains,
The chicks in the nests turn pale and limp.
Their mothers don’t come home
And they die alone,
Hungry and forgotten.
They make for juicy, easy pickings.
I climb up a tree
And spot a fresh batch.
Their bodies are lifeless, still,
And taste fleshy
As I place them into my mouth, drooling.
Every now and again,
When it rains,
The frogs in the swampland lose their way.
Their green homes overflow,
And they are washed out
In the rising waters.
They float, dead, just above the surface.
Legs up, faces down
Towards the pond floor.
Their skin is so slippery,
I eat them whole,
Arms sliding down the inside of my throat.
Every now and again,
When it rains,
The shelter kittens are left outside.
Their fur is waterlogged
And they shiver, cold,
Tiny mouths meowing.
They gather in a leaky dumpster.
As I lift the lid,
I see their faces.
Scared, confused, huddled close by
In a soft heap
And with no escape, not to see the day.
Every now and again,
When it rains,
The kennel dogs are left unguarded,
Their owner fast asleep
In her cheap trailer
With her piggy husband.
They know something’s wrong, hiding away,
Trapped and desperate,
Crying and moaning.
They can sense I’m just nearby,
‘Round the corner,
And the last they see is a flash of red.
Every now and again,
When it rains,
I rise up once again from my grave.
The water trickles through
Down into my tomb
And delivers me life.
I ache and yearn for more nourishment.
Hungry, ceaselessly
But never, ever full.
Not a single person sees
As I hover,
Claws outstretched, teeth bared, ready whenever.
The rain ceases too soon.
Far too fast.
The clouds part ways, and a blue sky forms.
I am cast underground,
Patiently in wait
For when the rain comes back.
The recent drought has passed, and I wake,
An ache in my gut.
The force that drives me
Is strengthening, getting tough.
This time, I’ll act.
This time, I'll get what I want, what I crave.
The townspeople are so overjoyed.
They shout in delight,
Thankful for the rain,
Thankful there is life once more.
Their tanks are full,
And the rivers are just starting to flood.
Little do they know.
That every now and again,
When it rains,
The neighbourhood kids come out to play.