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Marc Algernon explores the metaphorical and literal parallels between rodent behaviour and human social issues in Trinidad and Tobago. This narrative poem serves as a critical reflection on the cyclical nature of crime and the futility of aggressive suppression without moral reform.
Algernon draws from personal experiences of pest control to illustrate how human tendencies toward territorialism, reproduction, and theft mirror the survival instincts of rats. The work provides a unique perspective by transitioning from a lighthearted hunt to a sombre analysis of societal decay and the “inner-sense” of the population.
It distinguishes itself by using a raw, colloquial narrative style to challenge readers to examine their own integrity as a prerequisite for national transformation.
Key Takeaways
- Marc Algernon equates the survivalist instincts of rats with the persistent nature of human crime.
- Aggressive eradication efforts are presented as temporary solutions that fail to address underlying social causes.
- Personal integrity and loyalty are identified as the necessary foundations for genuine societal reform.
- The narrative suggests that human behaviour frequently mirrors the base instincts of pests when morality is absent.
- Crime prevention requires a collective shift in character rather than an exclusive reliance on law enforcement.
Why rats and men share more than just survival instincts in Trinidad
By Marc Algernon
Rats snatch and steal and fight
I started thinking of something, rats are a lot like men,
and the games they play, are a lot similar then.
I had a sling shot, quite a work of art
and a healthy target, a house full of rats.
Sure there were toads and bats,
but toads eat flies, nothing good bout rats.
So I waged war, I pillaged the village,
1000 rats to me alone,
I kicked down doors, burnt down homes
I am Spartan wherein I roam.
I didn’t care, I killed rat-man, rat-woman, rat-child…
but they kept coming, this made me smile.
I made rat poison bombs, I bought another sling shot
I killed and killed but the rats wouldn’t stop
Soon I lost interest, rat hunting wasted time…
I put on Crime Watch, so I could watch crime,
Police killed and arrested, put your “inner-sense” away
and crime increased more every day.
It’s hard to believe how much we are alike,
Rats snatch and steal and fight.
Yes! They even have fun,
They squeak and play and run.
They climb, they fall, they jump.
They get rat girlfriends and boy do they hump.
Rats also hump very similar to us,
Except they’re rats, so they don’t make a fuss
They hump on bags of rice, they hump on the floor
Day or night, it’s all open door…
We can’t fix crime, till we clean up our acts
Without honesty, loyalty, we are nothing but rats
They are just like us, to see this is plain
I think I’m gonna pillage the rat village again.
February 2014 – Issue 8 www.sweettntmagazine.com
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