Thoughts on Cockroach

Who doesn’t get scared or annoyed by cockroach!

Some of you might have risked life to get rid of them.

But could you imagine the vermin with egg poach?

You may be charmed to see the still life game.

 

I had the opportunity to see an art exhibition long ago,

Where artists presented amazing works on still life.

American cockroach and egg poach was a nice show,

The painting also combined sliced bread, fork and knife.

 

Beside those sweet memories, I have different experience.

Many weird cockroaches infested  my home badly.

They had various  sizes,shapes,colors and appearance ,

They spoiled everything ,I had to see helpless and sadly.

 

Various species fight for spaces in my home,

American, German and Oriental are some of them.

They have specific ways  for sleep and roam,

They take shelter in places like stores and picture frame.

 

The pestilent insect has many ways to harm,

They eat our things resulting to immense damage.

Their faeces and foul smell cause great alarm,

They spread diseases like heinous savage.

 

Most menacing adventure of the nocturnal creature,

Is inflicting wound to the sleeping person.

Emitting allergen is also its built-in nature,

People suffer from painful asthma through its arson.

 

People call exterminator to stop the nuisance,

Who  destroys  their habitats and apply pesticide.

You can also manage this evil with your prudence,

Clean  home and kill the rogue wherever you find.

 

But frankly speaking there are some merits  as well,

Giant Madagascar hissing cockroach is reared as pet.

Some species used for research and education as model,

Writers treat in novel or poem as object of hate.

I feel a little embarrassed to share some information.

Cockroaches are farmed for making medicine and food.

These may be norms of some cultures or personal passion.

I can’t prescribe   if such practices are bad or good.

 

Cockroaches are living for millions of years on the earth.

Modern  humans, Homo sapiens came  much later.

Survival of the fittest will determine which species is worth.

Someday cockroach may brand  the human as invader.

 

Reviews

[Carola]

interesting poem on cockroaches.
i don't hate them but, I don't particularly like them either, and I never kill them.
I catch them with a small round food takeaway plastic container & slide a piece of cardboard underneath so they can't escape & then I put them out in the garden for the birds or spiders to eat. they're part of the ecology.
cheerio carola

[zainul]

Thanks for stopping by dear poet.
I appreciate your ecological approach to manage cockroaches.

[Chris Shaw]

I very much enjoyed this write zainul. I don’t hate any creepy crawlies. They all have their place in this world and we have to accept them whether we like them or not. As to your overall meaning, I think our own species certainly appears doomed and is likely to disappear long before some of the others. A pleasure to read you.

Chris

[Betty Hermelee]

Frankly, I hate cockroaches; I used to live in Florida years ago and they were always in the bathtub or shower when I was read to bathe. That being said, I imagine they are good for something like research or eating other disturbing insects. I like the way you presented this poem, at first saying how bad they are, then saying that we may be taken over by them in millions of years to come; i hope not!!!
Best, Betty

[zainul]

Thank you for stopping by,Betty.I love your your nice review.I am an entomologist.I and my wife engage few hours everyday to protect ourselves from the tyranny of cockroaches.Once the insect was essential for biological study.But ,nowadays it is not a welcome guest.It would be great if it really feed upon other harmful insects.But,so far I never saw any other species of insect was fed by this prolific animal.
Cheers!

[msharma]

Very well written. The last stanza humorously summarizes the whole essence of the story.

[zainul]

Thanks for the lovely review.I am very glad that you identified the whole essence of the story.

[Dave Brown]

We all seem to have a place on the planet, as if someone actually did plan it.
I assume the cockroach thinks as little of us as we do of him but the way we are going, the mess we're making of this planet will do both species more than enough harm
he said!

[zainul]

Thank you Dave for the wonderful review.We are really making mess.

[.]

A very interesting write, dear Zainul! Certainly very informative on our common household pests! Just the sight of them makes one run for the roach spray! That you see beyond the cockroach as being much more than just a pest towards the later sections of your piece takes this write in an inspired direction. Roaches as medicine? Who knew! And your final lines are indeed wise and accurate. It has been said that in the case of a human nuclear extinction event, the cockroach would be close to the only animal that survives, and thus the world would become their domain! So your words ring with great truth. I enjoyed this one for its original theme and content. Much enjoyed! :))

[zainul]

Thank you Jamila for the wonderful insights on the roach and the practical aspects of its management.Since it's a very common animal,we tend to tolerate its excesses and also ignore its adaptive strategies for their own survival.Our stories on roaches will never exhaust.Any writer may write a unique yet interesting write.Thank you for stopping by.Hope to visit your page soon.

[Unspoken poet]

Oh my, this is so good and very creative. I really enjoyed this.

[zainul]

Thank you choosen for the inspiring review.

[¿]

I just killed a cockroach😞 and now to your poem I approached.
Who told him to bother my little space
Laalhit in my hand I started to trace
Sprayed so he laid, in a minute he died!
Sigh~
Hahaha True said, they are quite annoying but are created as requisite elements on earth.
Have you read the Mohajagotik Curator? I started to respect ants after reading their capabilities.
Thanks for sharing this😇

[zainul]

Dear Tahsin,your gift of the lovely poem as review of my humble work cooled my heart.I also killed one under the thumping foot just before the Iftar today.Me and my wife strive hard to get rid of them everyday.Once feel relieved that they are gone,but in moments they appear as ghosts.
Thanks for the clue about Mohajagotik Curator.I will try to read asap.
I am very happy that you stopped by today.
Stay safe and cheerful.

[AJNJ]

Thoroughly enjoyed this very imaginative and informative read sir Zainul. Your words were finely balanced and brought out the pros and cons of the multiple species inhabiting our earth. The facts on cockroaches were both interesting and cringeworthy and added to the liveliness of this read. I agree about natural selection. The cockroache is a hardy insect and it is said that it will be one of the major survvivors of a nuclear holocaust. So yes, one day, they may look at a stray human animal as an invador! Excellent poem!

[zainul]

Thank you Dear Pestonjee for the insightful review.I am very happy that you raised the points of multiple species inhabiting our earth, natural selection and survivors of a nuclear holocaust.Your review vividly depicted a stray human animal who lost his position due to natural selection.
Kindly stay safe in the pandemic.No body knows where the race of the invisible Corona will end and when we will be able to breathe without mask.In fact,we the so called powerful and most evolved species have been marginalized by an invisible entity.

[AJNJ]

You are so right sir! It's such an irony that the mightiest human animal is locked in his abode with egg on his face. And what a crisis indeed! Never seen anything like it before and who do we blame but our own species. Perhaps, intelligence and greed after a certain level can speed up our own extinction?

I appreciate this poem very much and look forward to reading more such poems of yours. Kindly accept my friend request sir. And you please stay safe too. Hoping, we flatten the covid curve soon :) Take care!

[Aradhana]

Well I found it a little sarcastic and ya indeed cockroaches are a subject of big research. When we study animal classification, anatomy and morphology of cockroaches play a very prominent role. They do destroy the things but they have right to life too. Quite an interesting topic to write on with a very creative flow. And infact I did study a cockroach at my home, it was amazing experience...... A very creative writing....

[zainul]

Thank you Aradhana for the insightful review.I am very pleased to learn that you studied cockroach at your home and you had amazing experience.
I thank you for relating the study of biological science with this poem.
Stay safe in the home until the pandemic is over.

[Aradhana]

Ya you too stay safe.