No Man's Land - June 3, 2025

a roach’s home is darkness

I live in light

but at the junction of that

no man’s land, a kitchen’s

nightlight, we meet

as my slow foot misses twice

he scurries under the stove

I open the frig, grab something

and chew, while he peers out

from the gloom, kicking himself

normally, so careful not to

cross paths with me, he worries

his life is now in great danger

that bug spray he’s been so

crafty to not trigger

might be the foggy nightmare

that ruins everything