A lazy glance up from the keyboard and I meet the eight eyes of doom.
Fuck.
My thoughts slip out from underneath me,
Two legs worthless against the icy battlefield of nature.

The sounds of the world amplify,
As my blue-screen-dulled senses kick themselves awake.
Primal instincts seize command,
As I size-up the atrociously unsuspecting beast in its prowl.

I lean forward—no!
I creep back, and the creature jerks,
Suddenly alert to the battlefield we’re on—no!
I’m frozen in place, made minuscule by an insect invader.

I had just pried opened the window for a gasp of crisp air—
Not but a few heartbeats ago!
The slutty glass parted wide and had seduced in the enemy.
Traitor.

If one could hear the whispers of the gods,
Senses blade-sharp, honed to each wrinkle of the curtains,
They would sound like eight legs on polyester drapes,
As the emblem of fear breaches your homeland.

Time to end this.
I clench my fists, sticky with chemical-orange cheese.
A lightning glance for weapons of war.
But no shoes in sight—the armory is lacking.

A draw a dusty discarded book,
Sweat and cheese staining the unfamiliar cover.
Itches charging across my skin-
Every brush and touch an invasion of crooked legs and glinting eyes.

I draw my weapons—
Breath skittering—
Drumbeats of war rocking my chest—
I aim to fire—
But I must hurry before it’s—

Gone.
————

A bit about the author: Anna Pisarka recently returned to her home in the USA after years of living abroad. She only lasted two months, re-packed her bags, and ran away to Europe in pursuit of love. Anna currently spends her days eating absurd amounts of Polish donuts and daydreaming about dragons. She can be found at her website pisarkanna.wordpress.com/ “