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i'm the exterminator

that's what the old man said
my job is to snuff out the lesser species
to survive
i eradicate vermin & collect the bill
driving home to wash the sweat & grease off
launder my soiled uniform
burrow into the night
eat my dinner in front of the television
& pass out only to awake drop-kicked by the clock
shower out my dream's residuals
& hit the road to control,
eliminate,
kill,
clean up,
basements, bathrooms, kitchens, attics
chatting, listening to seniors & section 8's,
the rich wax about what happened
to the world & why me, why me
why me

that's what the old woman said
as i knelt
on her kitchen floor
not from any divinity or sick ritual
but to spray for cockroaches under her sink
& to put a little rat poison behind her stove
there's murder in the suburbs, you know
paradise in the projects
you have to look beyond
this infestation
this existence
to survive
to keep your wings
or to get them
finally, in the end

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