This piece was originally published in Quarto’s 2022 Spring Print.
Illustration by Bella Aldrete
What if tomorrow the cockroaches decide they like the sun? There is sheer pandemonium as the streets of New York City fill with shiny brown bodies. I see politicians hopping on desks, firefighters being called for extermination emergencies, and certain food-cart vendors feeling vindicated. Someone once described a cockroach as an eclair — crunchy on the outside, mushy on the inside. Ever since, I have not been able to eat eclairs.
After skittering over ripe bananas and fingers, the cockroaches sun themselves on rooftops. They reach their antennae up and stand still in fresh air. But after a while, they go back to a state of unending hunger. Don’t you know? All the Tantaluses of the world are born again as cockroaches.
At first, those with weak stomachs take days off work. There’s a national shortage for RaidTM. People wage war against the creatures, but they just keep coming. Then, a child on YouTube pets one in Central Park and says “pretty pretty roachie” and the nature enthusiasts and Montessori moms are won over. Entomologist Nancy Greig comes forth and informs the public that cockroaches are just misunderstood and we accept.
Now some people stomp on them with their Louboutins and others gently step over them, but the pop and crackle of breaking exoskeletons is part of the rush hour song we sing.
Seowon (Angela) Lee is a Class of 2022 graduate at Columbia University double majoring in English Literature and Creative Writing. She is envious of snails, delighted by warm winds, and currently struggling through writing her Senior Essay on Asian American detective fiction. Currently, she is interning at Grove Atlantic and looks forward to what the future will hold.