Rat-A-Tat-Tat (Poetry Monthly)

The typewriters tap,

with a rat-a-tat-tat,

like a fourth estate rap

to provide us the pap

(that serves as a snack with a rat-a-tat-tat)

in a newspaper scrap

crammed with meaningless crap

from the editor's yap

(spewing flimflamy flak, booming rat-a-tat-tat)

after gashing a gap

in the daily recap

with a snip in a snap-

sounding thundery clap

crackng rat-a-tat-tat and a rat-a-tat-tat.



And the talking heads speak

with a rat-a-tat-tat,

of the news of the week,

tweaking tongue in the cheek

(with a click and a clack like a rat-a-tat-tat),

thus ignoring critique

'cause they're mild and too meek

in the midst of the reek 

to report of the wrack (except rat-a-tat-tat)

whilst the pundits (oblique

when protecting the chic 

of the upper class clique

at the top of the peak)

chatter rat-a-tat-tat and a rat-a-tat-tat.



The NRA ghouls

plug a rat-a-tat-tat

while their blood money tools

fill the Hill’s vestibules

(where deceit behind drapes drips a rat-a-tat-tat),

spreading folly that fuels

frenzied hands of young fools

bringing guns into schools

(at the drop of a hat there's a rat-a-tat-tat

splashing blood in warm pools)

for now anarchy rules

(which the hype ridicules

'til the temperature cools)

hailing rat-a-tat-tat and a rat-a-tat-tat.



Lawless cops, cutting loose

with a rat-a-tat-tat

spraying bullets profuse

without any excuse

(just a split second splat with a rat-a-tat-tat),

splay a rattled recluse

like a Thanksgiving goose

gushing cranberry juice

from six slugs in the back (with a rat-a-tat-tat).

To redress such abuse,

bend the branch of a spruce

with a neck in a noose

while Death's drums beat diffuse’

rolling rat-a-tat-tat and a rat-a-tat-tat.



War brings freedom to all 

with a rat-a-tat-tat

(well, excluding the thrall

with fear, facing the wall

[ often smacked with a bat, throbbing rat-a-tat-tat ],

until feeling the call

to creep out of the kraal 

biting back with a gall

[ with a tit for a tat and a rat-a-tat-tat ],

or to mangle and maul

if still able to crawl

and be part of the brawl

in a freak free-for-all,

midst a rat-a-tat-tat and a rat-a-tat-tat).



Holy warmongers praise,

with a rat-a-tat-tat,

any soldier that slays

and all rockets that raze

(the drones zoom with a vroom and a rat-a-tat-tat)

leaving smoky arrays

of gray ghosts in the haze

cloaking mute cabarets

(hushed, the hip and the hop, by the rat-a-tat-tat)

while ol’ Cerberus bays

with mankind in his gaze,

so society prays  

as it rots and decays

(Satan's trumpets of doom blare a rat-a-tat-tat)

until one of these days

in a flash through the maze

mighty mushrooms will blaze

with invisible  rays,

fin’lly braising the craze

of the rat-a-tat-tat,

   and the

            rat-

                 a-

                    tat-

                          tat.