Mosquitoes can be really annoying:
stingy and itchy and bloodsucking
and whiny and potential malaria spreaders.
There's not much to love... But
if the world had no mosquitoes
would it still be the same world?
It could mean the end of frogs
and spiders and therefore,
the end of little birds and bigger birds
and some snakes and therefore
the end of some bats and some
bigger birds and some big cats
and therefore the proliferation of
other little animals or particular plants
usually eaten by any of the above
so the balance would be all skewiff
like riding a horse with only one stirrup.
And so I wonder about my own ecosystem
and the regrets I have about being a wuss
too scared to go on student exchange
too scared to go on roller coasters
too scared to apply for jobs that I haven't done before
too scared to go to Antarctica because of sea sickness.
But if, like the mosquitoes, I decided fear was annoying
and abolished it (like whiting out a mistake with an
old Tippex pen) then would I still be me? Would my fear
be a hole that needed filling? I might walk around
with a space that people could see through. Or perhaps
the gap would be quickly overtaken by other mistakes
like digging out a weed and aerating the soil
for some new species to sprout in equal measure.
I don't like mosquitoes much. And I hate being a wimp.
But a jigsaw with a piece missing is just a picture
with a hole in it. And that's not much good either.
Inspired by John Malone’s Overshooting The Mark
Image from Pexel’s Free Images
Out of the Cave 
Wow! I love this 🙂 to inspire someone to write a poem is an honour and it’s a thoughtful and thought provoking poem too….I love the mosquito reference. It reminds me of a monologue in an Edward P Jones story about mosquitoes and why did God create them ,,, and other beasties ,,, and so on; yes, one thing does lead to another: I share some of your fears but the parable of the weeds is powerful as is the jigsaw puzzle image; wonderful: I’m going to have another read; thanks 🙂
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Thanks! For your comments and your initial prompting poem!
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pleasure 🙂 it’s a really good poem , with one hell of a powerful ending ! you’ve made my day — and incidentally it’s my birthday — no, don’t ask — so I’m having a good one 🙂
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Oh lovely! Happy Birthday! Mine’s not far off. My mum is making an Indonesian curry (rendang) in my honour. Yum.
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how lovely 🙂 thanks for the birthday wish 🙂
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They’re still bastards. Is replacement by a another species good or bad? I wish we knew. Mass extinction is definitely bad though. That’s not in any doubt, is it?
I get seasick too. It’s a real bastard.
I love your poem too.
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Thank you!!!
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This is a really interesting thought. I think about this re: depression and other things I’m trying to change in therapy. On the one hand, I want to change. On the other hand, I’ve gotten used to the dislikeable aspects as part of my own ecosystem and change feels scary.
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