entomophobia (an abnormal and persistent fear of insects)

web. nest. infestation.

words that make her skin crawl

thrown into temporary fits

of willies and shivers

upon sight or sense of one

she shuts down

reduced to a blubbering shell

pacing

frantically spot-frisking herself

fingering her hair

for any unwanted hitchhiker

she is so afraid that

she can’t even kill them

she couldn’t possibly risk the uncomfortable

proximity

so finely tuned is her fear

that she can tell if one is in a dark room

even if she is sleeping

her daily routine involves

their constant avoidance

EXTERMINATION is factored

into her regular bills

she is so afraid that to even

speak or write of them

she must detach from herself

as if she were referring to someone else

mks