“Facts About Mosquitoes,” by Ross Walton

Dec 20th, 2010 | By | Category: Poetry

 The average lifespan of a mosquito is between three days and one hundred years, although it is reported that one mosquito will never die.  This is referred to as the Alpha Mosquito and is held in high regard by certain tribes in North Africa.

The male mosquito has the mental capacity to handle minor automotive maintenance, but not the upper body strength. Most mosquitoes live solitary lives, but vacation in groups. The female mosquito prefers Sudoku over cryptograms.  It is not known why. 

Mating rituals of mosquitoes vary by species, but generally occur near water and involve copious amounts of cabernet sauvignon and the greatest hits of Sammy Davis, Jr. When these optimal conditions are not available, the industrious male mosquito will substitute Rick James and a bottle of Night Train. 

The larva of the urban mosquito scores consistently higher on standardized tests than its rural counterparts. 

Three mosquitoes died during the final edit of this document, but it is highly doubtful that any of these was the Alpha Mosquito, unfortunately.

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Ross Walton is a graduate student studying creative fiction at the University of Southern Mississippi Center for Writers.  He has studied fiction under Rick Barthelme, Mary Robison, and Steve Barthelme, as well as poetry under Julia Johnson and Angela Ball.  Ross works as a sound engineer for the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage and is associate producer/writer for Mississippi Moments, a radio program heard weekly on Mississippi Public Radio.

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