Termites

Mark Strassner 1952 (Seattle, Washington)



I have an old wood door
I wish it were new
I poked at a crack
An’ my finger went through

Could only mean one thing
This one thing I knew
Termites were present
Havin’ a good chew

I cut open that crack
With my utility knife
Exposin’ a colony
Threatenin’ my door’s life

That’s what can happen
With a house made of wood
They’ll hollow it out
Until it’s no good

.............................................

Inspectin’ the premises
I found many more
Chompin’ their way
Through my hardwood floors

Into their tunnels
I injected pesticide
Hopin’ to reach
All o’ those inside

It was too late
I had been beaten
Studs and beams too
Had already been eaten

The walls collapsed
Under their own weight
My dwellin’ disintegrated
At a very fast rate

I should have tented
While I still could
Only splinters remain
Where my house once stood
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Submitted on February 27, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

43 sec read
3

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCB XBDB CEXE FGXG XAXX XHXH IFBF XIXI DGXG
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 813
Words 146
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Mark Strassner

Mark Strassner was born, and grew up in, Seattle, Washington. He presently lives in Los Angeles, California. more…

All Mark Strassner poems | Mark Strassner Books

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    "Termites" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/62564/termites>.

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