Reckless

Saneli Soto

I’m a role-poly.
That’s what they call me but that isn’t my name.
Armadillidium vulgare.
That’s my name, nobody bothers to learn
I’m called a pill bug but I’m not a pill.
My name is Armadillidium vulgare.
I have a shell so people think it’s okay to squish me.
They say “it’s just an insect.”
They’re saying I’m “resilient,” I’m “ a rock,” but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel pain.
They think it’s okay to press me against the ground and hold me in their hands.
But it’s not, don't they know I can feel that?
They think I’ll bounce back.
Don’t they know it hurts. I can feel my organs move.
I can feel my shell crack.
“They think I cry too much. They think my cries are unnecessary.”
It hurts but everyone thinks it’s okay because I have a shell.
They dig up our homes.
Or they find me on my way home.
They grab me and when I roll up they pull me apart, it hurts
They can’t hear my cries.
My name is Armadillidium vulgare, not role-poly.