The rats become more than just pets alone
but an analogy for the human experience,
and I become nothing more than a caged animal
continuing to bang my head against walls
both real and immaterial
as the very scent of far-off lands
morphs into the most
enticing thing in the world
and a part of me
simply desires
above all else to run,
to escape, to play, to roam,
and come home again.