Photography © Chad Parenteau

 

roadkill

to every animal crushed on the side of the road
by our abrasive metal beasts

and to every pest
who painfully withered for the crime of wanting to be warm and full

and to every mouse whose light flickered out
trapped under a metal rod because you were lured by the prospect of
          food

and every deer shot
for the ‘sport’ of hunting

and every dog and cat that had to be put down at the shelter
because they took up too much space

and every fish floating in bags, in bowls, in overcrowded tanks
to be won, and sold, and bought for your beauty

and every insect and spider i’ve ever crushed with my own feet
because i was afraid of the sliver of space you kept

life is life, no matter the size or species.
im sorry yours was taken because humanity found it an inconvenience.

 

An aspiring writer trying to dip his foot into different forms of literature, Haylie “Jay” Darling is a student at Salem State University. He enjoys writing urban fiction and weird little poems, and spends far too much time doodling characters and thinking about his cats.

Chad Parenteau is Associate Editor of Oddball Magazine.