At home we see those big black flies
As negative and we
Try to swat them
We can’t stand to see them
Flying free
Blow flies flesh flies
Perched on shit flies
Then perched on our food
They contravene our thinking
In how they might exude
The detritus they have been sat upon
Before they reached our plate
And what we gave to realise
Is as creatures they are great
They are the cleanup merchants
Helping to decay
Pretty rotten materials
And send them on their way
Via its true proboscis
It suck’s up potential food
AIDS in decomposition
Of course it does feel crude
Sponging mouthparts register
No teeth you see to use
Ecological excrement
On our plate it’s not good news
Where they have been before reaching you
Goodness knows and so
Spitting their juices on to our food
The filth is going to grow
And it’s in our mind for certain
And it’s a challenge after seeing
Flies settling on your evening meal
A buffet of the being
Rex Tyler is a Poet, Campaigner, former owner of an organic shop of 30 years, and Public Speaker living in Berkhamsted, UK.