This is the sixth in a series of articles from the Eco Church Team at St Columba’s, which are also published in our church magazine.
Deep in the compost heap, something is stirring
A movement, a settlement, secret, unseen
We rats are a-crawling, and squeaking and mauling.
We’re creatures of night and the warmth and the stench
Of decomposition, organic attrition,
Of vegetable leavings and rancid grey fat.
Of cold congealed custard and sweet sticky chutney,
Of bread dough and jelly and leftover porridge.
And all of this feast is just dumped, most convenient
At regular intervals, top of the pile,
Where it festers, neglected, to seep down in putrid
And thick goo-y loveliness. “Food for the gods.”
‘Til the army of rodents, my cousins, my brothers
Emerge in the moonlight from deep dark down chambers
To feast on the scrapings of toppings and tailings.
And meanwhile the rest of us rats are a-breeding,
Holed up in our citadels, plotting and weaving
A plan for the world where the rodents will rule.
As evermore composting schemes are adopted
And more and more humans pile organic waste,
They’ll talk of recycle. They’ll talk of the warming
Of our world and their world, of doom and despair.
But just as the heaps in the gardens grow bigger
The rat population will prosper and swell.
We’ll spill from our currently limited kingdoms
And spread to luxurious upmarket spots,
Where the leavings are plentiful five star donations,
And the heat in the depths of the piles is deluxe
And then we will mount an invasion, encroachment
Of human’s own spaces and dwellings and dens.
We’ll carry diseases; we’ll do as we pleases,
Our numbers so vast, they’ll be talking of plagues.
And a simple, naïve little plan for the planet
Will dissolve into anarchy, chaos and woe.
‘Look out world,’ we whisper, as deep in the compost
Our teeth are a-grinding…our eyes are a-glow!
Author’s Note: As the concept of recycling grows and awareness of the issues
spreads within populations; as governments move from incentives to
sanctions organic waste disposal could become the next area of conflict.
Personal responsibility or public liability in the making?