Cockroach

Structure

I watched a giant cockroach start to pace,
Skirting a ball of dust that road the floor.

At first he seemed quite satisfied to trace
A path between the wainscot and the door,

But soon he turned to jog in crooked rings,
Circling the rusty table leg and back,

And flipping right over to scratch his wings-
As if the victim of a mild attack

Of restlessness that worsened over time.
After a while, he climbed an open shelf

And stopped. He looked uncertain where to go.
Was this due payment for some vicious crime

A former life had led to? I don’t know
Except I thought I recognised myself