loft

We don't have an active rat population without human activity. We tempt them into our homes and workplaces with the shameful amount of food we throw away. if people throw food litter around, or don't store their refuse correctly, don't be surprised if you get rats. The ways in which rats behave are usually a reflection of the way we behave. 

scrub like an ancestor
on all fours again
breathing airborne rat flakes
decomposed rodent ash
i have marigolds for their grave
in the attic
heat rises

the build up of perspiration
inside latex gloves
sweat and dust congeal like a clam
like spit and flour
it binds like a film over my face
and rubs off like paste
like crud
like sin
like a second skin

i blow the hair up out of my eyes
rattling a million families of mites
it is a futile exercise
i've tried telling my mother
this war on dust
this fight against decay
this spring clean against high entropy
is too late
everything is already contaminated