The Last Laugh

by Oonah V Joslin

The skeleton told all the flesh off its bones;
laid its whole life bare
till there was no story left in the book.

The rat sat patient as a friend
because, as every rat knows,
every tale must come to an end.

Fleshless, the bone that reads the empty page.
In deadlock now the two of them engage
eyeball to eyeball.

The rat has a hungry look.