At night, one overworked custodian
          vacuums moldy carpets
In a half-ass fashion
          leaving invisible droppings behind.

During the day, fine dust becomes
          a dull blade slicing through lungs.
Bronchial tubes flutter— wheezing
          like a dying bird’s wings.

On cold nights fear fills the lung's fine filaments
          but on Thursdays
The crew arrives once again to cut grass
          while asthmatics sit in nearby classrooms.

Working men with masks
          walk behind mowers and blowers
Pushing dust laced with chemicals
          into defenseless lungs.

Students and teachers
          are enveloped in noisy clouds
Challenging brains already on edge
          limiting learning.

Snotty infections
          fill sinuses.
The battle for breathing begins
          as inhalers deliver unsafe steroids.

Unexpected painters arrive another day
          sending acrid fumes through vents?
Distracted red eyes are chased by verbs and nouns—
          the battle once again lost in a system gone mad.

What happened to the night shift?
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Discover the historical fiction novel, My Splendid Concubine, by Lloyd Lofthouse, (click here) on this AuthorsDen page.