Pestilence

The temperature had dropped, suddenly.
Like unexpected
knocks on the front door,
it had caught everyone
off guard.
There was no time
for preparations,
for filling cracks forced open
from the summer rains.
As the children slept,
no doubt dreaming of
playgrounds and bouncing
vats of sweet treats
and toys;
the Army of Pestilence
scurried in through every
open crevice.
With collective conscious,
they went to work
by the thousands
and shredded the family apart.
Bit by furiously fast bit,
the rodent soldiers spread
their diseases by gnawing
through cotton and
polyester fibers till they
reached bone, and marrow.
The screams were heard
briefly, bellowing out into
the night, like a banshee cry.
By morning, the scurried,
furry army lay fat,
and satisfied.