The Uninvited 1999

The Uninvited

In autumn, small creatures

Seek refuge in our house.

Open a door and a fly zooms in,

Patrolling in circles for crumbs on the floor.

Open a window and spiders dash in,

Eight-footing it into the nearest crack.

Affectionate cousins, the field mice, dream

In leafy nests behind the wall.

All univited! – uninvited! – I say.

I’ll lock the doors and nail the windows down.

With weapons in hand, I pause ….

What will the cold, dark days bring me?

Who knows when I may need a refuge too?

With weapons in hand, I pause … I pause.

Perhaps I can endure these uninvited guests

Till spring.

November 1, 1999