Water-bug

[ellajam]

Hey, Dale, if you can crush him without a foot there's states that grow em bigger.

First read, but it had an effect. I'd break up the lines I starred below to slow up the action and let it weigh a little heavier. And there are some ands that can go. Good morning.

Water-bug

I hate cockroaches,
especially the big water-bug types
we have in Austin
that get three—four inches long.
One of the biggest I’d ever seen
was laying in my bathtub on his back.
I thought he was dead
as I had sprayed my house recently,
and every time I do,
I find big dead ones
all about for a day or two.
When I first saw
him instead of picking him up
with toilet paper and flushing him,
I let it go a day.
A day later while sitting on the toilet
I noticed him again,
but this time his feelers moved,
and then as I moved around to see better
his legs started to move about.
Somehow I knew,
that he knew,
death was near.
I finished with the toilet,
and got a piece of paper towel.
He continued to move,
and as he did so
I contemplated catching him
and letting him go,
although I knew he was dead already.
I laid the paper towel over him
*and pinched his body between my thumb and two fingers,
*and dropped him in the toilet, quickly flushing,
but not quick enough
to keep a small part of me
from dying with him.



–Erthona


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