The Cockroach Poem by Palitha Ranatunge

You have been living for
Billions of years
Before us mammels,
Being a true descendant
Of mighty Trilobite
Who had been trotting
In the ancient water world
In the mysterious era
Of Pre-Cambrian,

Today you play a game
of hiding and seeking
A game of death,
For mere permission to live
In our sophiticated dwellings
Cornered into the darkness
And be a squatter in damp
Tiny holes, those have been
Filled with terror and death,

You have been harmless
To our species, throughout
The last billions of years,
You have not been the reason
For any human pestilence,
Rats for the plague
Mosquitoes for dengue and others
Bugs for blood sucking
But you for nothing,

You only nibble a remnant
On a dish at a kitchen table
Or scaring a delicate female
In spite of your weak character
Yet you have survived
Before many strategically planned
War fares at our household
Armed with sophiticated
Chemical weaponry,

You are very much despised
And unwelcomed by us
In such vulnerableness
You may live a longer life,
Even after the extinction of
Our species, humans,
Being a diplomat of all ages
On this planet earth
Growing up to be a leader.