second night

entering the bathroom in only briefs,
I saw for the second night
the shadow of a beetle
trapped in our light fixture.
both nights
I used a stool to watch it,
covered in dust,
sliding against the bowl
like a turtle in a fire pit.
even a yard away, you could feel
the heat of the bulb. I thought
about grabbing the bug
but also about quick burns,
whether beetles had teeth,
and the certainty of death.
I used a toothpaste tube.
it slid down a few times
and then over the lip,
landing with its back
to the counter. with the tube
again I set the animal upright.
the wings it had were old.
it crawled just like before,
for a few minutes against a corner
and then behind a plant,
out of sight.