Always with the flailing.

There were some ancient cultures, Chinese
Dynasties painted prettily in books and such
who executed prisoners quite gruesomely
using rats, a pot, and fire.
See, they'd lay the man down
put the rats on his bare stomach
cover said rodents with the pot
and heat said pot with a torch
until the rats would have no choice
but to chew their way through the man's flesh
to avoid being baked alive.

What people tend to disregard
about this cute little game, however
is that the rats were the ones being tortured;
the man, he was being punished.
There's a difference implied--
it's a matter of guilt or innocence.

Call me cynical
but I've always felt worse
for the rats.
Humans are capable of dirtier deeds
than what they call vermin.