by Debbie Naples.
rats on a roasting bin
ticks on the potato
beetles crawling deep within
the dying dread tomato
kettles chewing sheets of air
tea on broken plates
tiny nymph flies everywhere
sticking to the tape
mice run through the garden
chewing bits of rope
then they climb the kitchen stair
and start in on the soap
lamps are lighting up themselves
shining leaves with shining elves
looking like the grocery shelves
from other worlds and other selves
maggots forming long patrols
that march along the dead
bloated liquid flesh unfurled
but still they must be fed