A Rat Decides to Change its Place
 
Disgust springs up from the guts
to meet a sprinting lump
of furry muscle.

Only to be ambushed
by a brilliance of nose, a skittering
perfection of racing claws,

Sleek brown legs, pumping
from the stewed-tea shade
of rain damp oaks

scud towards a pool, below
a crumbled, redbrick efficiency
of Victorian engineering.

Solid body plunging into water,
with the same gratifying, staccato plop
a stone makes, as it hits the target.

Matt Gilbert is from Bristol, but currently lives in South London. His work has appeared in various publications, including Dust, Ink Sweat & Tears and The Rialto. His debut collection Street Sailing was published by Black Bough Poetry in 2023.