Letter to the Centipede on My Ceiling
John A. Nieves
John A. Nieves’ poems appear in journals such as Iowa Review, American Poetry Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and swamp pink. A 2025 Pushcart Prize winner, his first book Curio won the Elixir Press Annual Judges Prize. He’s an associate professor at Salisbury University and an editor of The Shore.
Hello, I can see your antennae and your legs and your mandibles,
the humble twitching across it all, the work your nerves
can do. And I want you to know I believe in your bite
and your sting. I believe you will stop the ants from eating
the crumbs near the cat bowl. I believe you will keep
the spiders from tenting my windows. O centipede, thank you
for every tick you have eaten that has never known
my blood. I will catch you now. I will lay you safely by the thorn
bush. Please know this exile is for both of us. The night is full
of what sustains you. I am empty of it. I am not what you need.