Cockroach and I
On a tropical night
that was like being locked in a Chinese laundry
I lay down on the wood floor
trying to stay cool
and a COCKROACH ENTERED MY EAR
I woke quickly frightened
shaking my head like a dog
my soul nearly lost on its dreaming thread
my head buzzing
it seemed full to bursting with
brown spiked legs protruding above a lobe
At the hospital the mister sister said
" Can't get it out mate"
As he probed with probes and tweezed with tweezers.
"A few drops of oil may do some good"
The Dr. said accusingly
"NEVER PUT ANYTHING IN YOUR EARS BIGGER THAN YOUR ELBOW
YOU CLEANED YOUR EARS!
NEVER CLEAN YOU EARS
IF YOU HADN'T CLEANED YOUR EARS
IT WOULD HAVE GOT BOGGED"
For a fought nights, fourteen day journey
that cockroach travelled with me - hitchiking
held by cotton wool in my ear
At school black, brown,yellow and white children
chanted
'Cockroach, Cockroach"
So unkind
In the playground they played with a chorus
"Her comes cockroach, here comes cockroach"
In the staff room
colleagues kept their distance
The card school muttered
"filthy, disgusting" and with burps & grunts
moved to another table
Patrician women in designer clothes
elocuted me
"A cawkroach?..... what is that?
Oh how gharsley for you"
The feminest left wing union rep transfixed
me with an enigmatic stare
and shot rapid fire
"You know what's happened don't you
You've been violated by that COCKroach
penetrated abused...
it has come to oppress you
to dominate your mind and body"
At length with the second aid of medical apparatus
the body and head and my body and head
parted company
I recovered and the relationship between myself
and the cockroach
turned to myth
I had been on a journey of learning with that
cockroach
and I had learned about
humanity
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