David D. Paul

Pest

I broke my nose against a concrete wall

made entirely of thoughtless, weightless,

fruit flies. At first, I tried to reason

with them; I proclaimed,“This is my home,

not yours. There is a world of garbage for you.”

I opened the window as invitation,

transformed the fan into a simulation:

my kitchen as a hurricane.

I clogged the air with sandalwood,

dragon’s blood, pumpkin spice,

bleach—then set the bathroom ablaze

with peppermint oil and watched the smoke decay.

I cinched my garbage bags, trapping at least

a hundred, then tossed them in the dumpster,

where their strangeness

would be compressed.

In the mirror, my tired face was obscured

by pointless, toothless,

poison-filled

fruit flies.

David D. Paul was born in Pittsburgh, but currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, two daughters, and their pet gold fish, Michelangelo (Mikey for short).