culicidae raze they come in clusters to sink their fangs into the furred faces of my friends. i'm the main course. a slab of meat so sweet they'll eat it raw. they siphon fuel from my skin and leave me pruritic and depleted. i reach for a flask of liquid hope designed to repel these pitiless pests. press down on the disc top cap. the dispensing hole spits its salve onto my split lips. vague scent of citrus. dull fear unfurls. i wash my own mouth out with soap and taste everything i thought i'd thrown away. i slather exposed skin with what i wouldn't let touch my tongue. and still the bastards bite me in my bed after making this home their own. 251003 what's it to you? who go blather from