What dire offense is it that evokes me
To cry out in such ardor? Hear my plea,
Oh match of Plato and his witty kin,
For I bear the burden in blood and skin –
Ev’dence of struggles past, ev’ry accost







I once endured – battles fought, battles lost.
And still yet the carnage continues on,
Till I taste d’feat or ev’ry foe is gone.
For days and weeks the battle waged and wore,
Those blood-suckers kept coming back for more.





Not a wink of sleep did I gain those nights,
As those pests lay to me with hungry bites.
And so this is where my story begins,
As I sit in my bed, labtop on shins.

“Now what shall I write ‘bout?” I wonder as






I finger my chin, “Something with pizzazz.
An inc’dent at school? A conflict in class?
Some horr’fying test that I barely pass?”
‘T all seems so boring, too mundane to bear,
I must have some other story, somewhere.






And then, a buzzing by my head, wakes me
From my reverie. Oh, what can that be?
There it is! What ’tis I can hardly see,
What meager body and translucent wings?
Oh! ‘Tis the despicable mosquito!








More dreadful and treach’rous than B’linda’s beau.
There it is, drifting lazily. The bane
Of my existence, the source of all pain.
Good God, I implore you, answer me this,
How such creatures are allowed to exist?






Now it descends, it’s buzzing advancing,
Growing and building, black and menacing,
Like a vulture circling it’s pending prey,
‘Round down to my face it slowly sashays.
And as it attempts to land on my cheek,






Up goes my hand in a lightening streak.
It claps down on my face, ferociously,
A burning on my cheek, with no relief.
I bite my lip hard, and tears fill my eyes,
While out of the corner, away the beast flies.





Now a burning rage boils up inside me,
“I will catch them all! And though they may flee –
I will capture them and crush them with glee!
Fear my strength! For ‘tis the might of ten trees!”
I yell to the air, spaces far and near,







So all the demons of the world can hear
My dangerous threat, a promise to rid
All the land of those who take and don’t give.
In a blind fury I reach out to seize
Whatever foe I hear or seem to see.







But they dart around me, and slip away,
A daring, foolish, game they seem to play.
They mock me as they hide in the brightness
Of the sun, then slip into the darkness
Of the shadows. I snatch and grab to no






Avail, where I do not look, they seem ‘t go.
Finally, I collapse in a tired heap
Just on the brink of admitting defeat.
The fight has fled me – they’ve played me with skill –
I have no power left, no strength of will.






No mind to push on, to strive and resist,
Only an emptiness inside persists.
Then, a brill’ant idea comes to my mind,
I can’t believe I’ve been so ment’lly blind!
Really the solution is simple, now.








I leap to my feet in one jub’lant bound.
And rush to reach the widerness beyond.
I stop by the animal’s drinking pond,
Place my hands ‘round my mouth, and happ’ly shout,
“Oh mystical beast!” I loudly call out,







“Please come to my aid, I require your help!”
I wait a moment, but there’s only m’self.
It seems the great cat did not heed my call,
I’ll have to hunt for him m’self after all.
I search round the corners, in ev’ry nook.






Seems there is nowhere I don’t think to look.
Fin’lly, I find him, curled up on a bench,
The essence of peace and utter content.
I hoist him up and bring him back ‘t my room,
With him at my aid this’ll all end soon.







His excellent senses, his lightning sight,
Will speedily assist me to make light
Of this quest. For what is man without an
Animal friend to sometimes lend a hand?
And so we sit and we stare and we wait,






Him nonchalant, I, an impatient state.
Suddenly he jolts and his eyes light up,
There, on the table, resting by my cup,
The little fiend, he sees, as he readies
Attack. A hand on his back then steadies






Him. This is my struggle, my quest to complete –
I’ll not have my friend my foe to compete.
With nimble stealth and incredible speed,
I sneak up ‘t my foe, though it pays to heed.
Quick as a flash my mortal blade comes down.





And now flat as a leaf it falls to the ground.
“Aha!” I let out a victor’ous cry,
“It is I that prevails and you who dies!”
With th’ aid of my cat and heightened moral,
I vanquished those monsters once and for all.