20160419 (Ralphie, the rat)

Heyse Building: rat in first floor window lower left; picnic area (?) upper right roof. Fascinating classic scheduled for help.

The rat I found guillotined 

By the sash of a window

In an empty building puzzled

me as I passed. For all I know 

The Heyse Building at the

Juncture of West 28th and Fulton

Has been devoid of occupants 

Decades now--from when I first

Delivered mail in the area back

In 1967-71 to the present. I’d 

Seen an article that it was one

Of a dozen or so sites

Scheduled for upgrading

Which is fine for me.  

Restoration of vacant buildings

Is a good sign in any neighborhood

And to my mind the building 

Merits architectural preservation.

It may date to the 1890s when

Franklin Circle truly was a 

Roundabout. Its yellow brick

Seems in sound condition. I

Always thought someone would

Grab it for medical offices since

It’s so close to Lutheran Hospital.

The slope of its roofline in steps

Reminds me of my house on Lee 

Road. The top floor has an open

Area covered by the roof as if

It were public park shelter for

Summer picnics overlooking

Fulton and the Christian Church

Directly across. I’ve never seen

Anyone up there, nor anywhere

In the building. Which brings me

Back to the rat apparently slammed

To death by the sash falling against

The sill as “Ralphie” (I decided to

Name him after that insuffereable

Child in the movie A Christmas

Story which I watched recently to

Understand what the fuss was 

About) peered onto the Circle

Behind the heavy wire screening

Nailed to the first floor frames

To prevent easy window smashing.

Someone must have been in there

Within the last month or so to

Open the sash (to let air in?). I can’t

Think Ralphie squeaked his wish

For an unobstructed view and a

Vermin-sympathizer opened it

For him. Perhaps the Unknown 

Window Raiser (UNR) returned to the 

Room while Ralphie leapt up

To scout the goings-on. Seeing the

Rodent gazing out the window,

His exit blocked by the wire 

Screening, and his back to the

Visitor, the UNR used heavy sash

To guillotine Ralphie at the sill,

Thus sparing UNR of the chance

Of being bitten were Ralphie to

Have been spared. Or, maybe,

A competing real estate agent

Thought to mount an already

Deceased critter in that particular

Window so prominently

Visible to frighten off potential

Lessees who would want to 

“Get in on the ground floor”

So to speak. I have a camera.

I may yet take a picture to

Supplement these notes. I

Mean—you’d wonder how

It happened if you’d

Seen it.

c. J.S.Manista, 2016