the quiet quitter

yesterday morning the exterminator
(a pudgy teenager
dressed in black
with oily hair
and a hint of mustache
over his curled top lip)
arrived late
dragging his spray can
like a bad attitude

an extremely unenthusiastic sprayer
each squirt released
very little liquid

he reminded me of a crow –
although nothing like the majestic crow
my friend donna’s been feeding
in her backyard all summer