Smashing A Spotted Lanternfly At The 35th Annual Fall Festival On a clear, hall-of-fame day somewhere between the Yo-Yo swing ride and Crazy Mouse coaster under the canopy of the carousel while calliope music mixed with a thousand bustling patrons and peddlers, I found myself in the shade on a bench eating flash frozen ice cream pebbles when an unmistakably stylish bug landed at my feet. Just then, The Swinging Squares took to The Midway Stage. Women dressed in five-tiered, earth-toned calico skirts began to twirl as their partners circled them round. Bright red petticoats flashed. With deadly intent, I stomped the invasive pest with the toe of my sneaker. I felt satisfied, even, one might say, good. I had killed to protect the harvest, and I would do it again.
About the Author: A native of Pennsylvania, Lara Dolphin is an attorney, nurse, wife and mom of four amazing kids. Her first chapbook, In Search Of The Wondrous Whole, was published by Alien Buddha Press. Her most recent chapbook, Chronicle Of Lost Moments, is available from Dancing Girl Press.
Image Credit: Arthur Rothstein “Brownsville, Texas. Carnival ride” (1942) The Library of Congress
As It Ought To Be 