took a back road out of Lafayette
headed for New Orleans
twisting winding back bayou country
with swamp and moss on the trees
 

it was after dark and it seemed to me
that a fog was rolling in
squinting to see further up the road
aware of a light flashing yellow ahead
 

I followed that light about a mile
while the fog got denser yet
I thought for a while
it might be a tow truck
 

until I got close enough
and a moment of breeze
cleared the air 
“DO NOT FOLLOW
MOSQUITO ABATEMENT”
 

oh good grief, I tried not to breathe
as I put pedal to the metal
and passed it goodbye
then easily saw fresh air again
 

pulled into a suburb outside the city
after midnight and no place to stay
parked the car in a church parking lot
and rolled up all the windows
 

five minutes later, the car was a sauna
steam on the windows and me
I rolled down the windows
so dead tired and drifted off to sleep
 

expecting of course to be eatin alive
by the dreaded southern mosquitoes
hee hee unscathed I awoke in the morning
for the car was protected, by that miracle dispensed