Rat

in the trash
flaccid thrasher 

ribbons of
grease in the eaves 

gifts of tinsel
to lick 

all evening
shoes click 

a carnal gleaming
at the outdoor market 

everyone
leaves a crust 

no matter how lovely
rat will outlast us 

watchful it follows
the lipless fish 

vendor as wet skins
fall from his 

purpling
fingers

 
Kathleen Radigan

Kathleen Radigan is a writer and cartoonist from Rhode Island. Her work has appeared most recently in The New Yorker, McSweeney's, Guernica, The Yale Review, The Sun, and The Rumpus, among a few other places. She lives in New York City, where she teaches high school English.

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