wildlife

after working until midnight
in the midst of the three-day weekend
i got to sleep shortly after one

i was awakened sometime in the pitch
by my own coughing
and the realization my house had been inundated
with skunk spray

for which intermittent waking
opening windows and such
was no help whatsoever

planes barrelled through at 6:30 am
with heavier than usual memorial day air traffic

for which earplugs were also no help

so amidst thick lingering stink
pervading taste buds
skin and sinus

i arose

to find and kill
ants crawling all over my kitchen

walked outside to the sound of screeching feral parrots
to consider whether the scratching sound underneath the deck
might be housing the noxious culprit

heard morning church bells
and awaited the chimes to tell me if it was already
8 or 10

who knows
another jet just roared overhead