Cockroach Dies From Pesticide Poisoning
And I can kick it with my bare foot into the corner where
Its carcass will be removed by smaller creatures.
I can make my foot a rake with my toenails.
My toenails are less a part of me than the flesh of my toes
Because they are made out of dead tissue and have no nerves.
They are almost part of the cockroach world by being so removed from me.
Dead cockroach in the middle of the floor,
Midway between walls draws attention to itself, even in death.
It draws attention to the lack of effective housekeeping,
To the human inhabitants of the room. "Look how little they care".
Sometimes I find a cockroach in the morning.
Several feet, probably bare feet, have already squashed it
Have broken through the shell armour and the paste produced
Has acted like a glue.
In these instances several rakings of the back of the foot are required
To kick it out of sight
Pushing the nail/germ/distance theory.
Many creatures are at home on the ground.
They are as at home there
As we are at home in the clouds.
Snakes for example, rodents, lizards.
For the Aborigines the ground is a mirror to the stars
It provides more scope for sustenance than sickness.
We remove ourselves from the ground with shoes
We distance ourselves in the same way we distance ourselves from food
We rake with forks to keep our fingers dry.
We rake and brush and wash the food with steel shoes
From the cutlery cupboard.
This, by way of illustration.
First of May