After four days of sleepless nights Of waiting with weapons In our hands, ready to strike Last night was a win. We got it right And managed to sleep through the night And awoke when our bodies were rested, when our eye lids lifted- not with fatigue, but with disbelief That, we had got our hours of rest. We rewound the steps in our head What was it that we had got right? We would have to repeat it night after night. Was it that we had shut our doors before dusk to friends and strangers alike Or that we had brandished our electric racquets like the William sisters or Federer at the US Open? Was it the chemical weapons we'd used- the snake-like winding pyrethrum coil we had burned In an earthen pot with a lid that allowed the smoke through Or was it the glass bottle with the citronella we plugged in? We can’t be sure what kept the enemy at bay So, we’ll just have to repeat the steps To the ‘T’ and see if we win, again. As dusk descends, we get our gears on Another night Another fight begins Between the homo sapiens and the earth's oldest predator. Copyright © 2022 Smitha Vishwanath All Rights Reserved
Smitha Vishwanath embarked on the writing journey in 2016 with her personal blog while still working as a banker. After having worked for almost two decades in senior roles in the banking industry, she quit in July 2018. Since then, she has been keeping herself busy with writing poetry and painting. Her poem, ‘Omid’ was nominated for Best of the Net in 2019. ‘Do you have dreams?’ and ‘Forgotten’ were mentioned in the International NaPoWriMo hosted by Maureen Thomson in 2021 and 2022. She was also nominated, ‘Poet of the month’ by SpillWords in May 2021, for her poem, ‘Ye birds on my windowsill’. Her poems have been published in several anthologies and online publications. Thieving Magpies, Rebelle Society and Borderless Journal are a few.
Featured Image: by @jazeel_jamal7
Editor: Barbara Harris Leonhard
Amazon Best-Selling Author
Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir (EIF-Experiments in Fiction, 2022)
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MasticadoresUsa // Editor: Barbara Leonhard 
It’s an ongoing battle! But one full night of rest means that it can be done. 😍😂
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Lol…we learnt the art of living with them, Sadje. Got ourselves mosquito nets😁
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I remember using them when we were kids.
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I really enjoyed this poem by Smitha, especially since my family is fighting its own summertime battle with this same predator.
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Robbie, your comment made me smile. Who knew the subject of mosquitoes could bond🙂. Dhaka winters mean mosquitoes. I had little idea before I came here, how bad it could be. In Mumbai, I did not have to deal with them. Somehow, they never visited. But, here, the mosquitoes seem far more resilient and focused.
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African mosquitoes are also fierce predators and in some areas they carry malaria. I also use citronella candles and find them to be effective, especially out of doors.
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Yes, we started using those as well, and the mosquito nets are a savior.
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A lovely write and I am so glad that don’t like me but here at night in the summer they do bite my husband and they itch for days. Congratulations for your publication and your beautiful piece. Many blessings, Joni
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Thank you so much for reading and for your warm words, Joni🙂. You are fortunate that they don’t like you. I feel sorry for your husband. In my daughter’s case, they bite and leave ugly marks on her skin.
Thank you again for writing back.💕
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You are most welcome. A lovely read but I agree being sensitive to bites can be very troublesome. I am sorry for your daughter. They love biting my husband, in fact all bugs go after him and I rarely ever get bit. They make natural sprays for dogs instead of putting poison on them to keep bugs away. We use one that is all natural and it just has things like cedar, peppermint and other smells that deter insects. My husband uses those on his legs and arms when he works in the yard just before dark and he rarely gets bit them. Blessings to you, Joni
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Thank you, Joni, for the blessings. I wish you the best, too. I’m glad you found a solution. It can be a nightmare otherwise. We currently use a citronella roll-on, which we dab on our clothes, and it helps.
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Smitha, thank you for your submission! I can relate to the nightly battle with those pesky mosquitoes. I’m just happy it’s winter here, but with global warming, we have mild days. Yesterday, I found a wasp on his last wings. Nature’s critters think it’s time to mate when it feels like Spring in January. I do believe I saw a mosquito recently!
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Thank you so much,Barbara, for accepting the submission. Sadly, global warming is happening and can be seen in nature’s ways. You’ll had a mild winter, and we, here, had a cold one. I believe the production of honey by bees has reduced because of it. God help us!
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Yes! We’re in big trouble if the bees are suffering.
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So interested poem write ✍️ you.
Really true words write in poem.
I do believe I saw a mosquito recently! Here at night in the summer the do bit me and they itch for day
Congratulations
for your published .
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