the rat took our tomatoes
the rain fell
on the Cook Strait,
crying, crying, crying
big rat,
soft and important
ate our tomatoes
looking at the attractive stained glass window
doesn’t know about proteins
doesn’t even have a name
heavy-minded, the flies
go unmasked around the open room
along the rat’s fur,
water filtered through soil
trickled down to soil
the rat circled his topic
his words gave nothing away
humus, phosphor, Antarctic rain
gather up, down, up
he stole our tomatoes
and I did not know what he meant