Found by Warch bridge in spring 2019. Thanks, anonymous artist(s).
Pets are such a big part of our lives, but do you ever guess what they are thinking? Each week, I will take a different “pet” and write their “inner thoughts.”
Welcome back, students of this school. We missed you last year! Let us introduce ourselves: we are the collective pe(s)ts of Lawrence. We love this short time we have on earth and we make the most of it by casual mating, dorm invading and really just flying ‘round this school like our only business is to be annoying. And we get it, kinda, as in we know we are infamous. It’s fine, you love to hate us—that’s harsh–but it helps you form some sort of collective like us, and we like that. Maybe you need that too, to make the most of it and be a unit. Huh, that’s deep. Hive mind strength?
Well let us not fool you, we are simple too. We love light. Light, yes. (Like those students! Huh.) More light? Yes. Anything for light. We also love clothes and hair and skin. It helps transport us to those buildings! But as soon as we enter a room or hallway we flee to the outside! Help!!! We think trees mean outside but it means window with a view. Oh no, quick death. But there are more of us and we will keep on coming in multiple waves and then we will die but our little river babies will come back next year forever. You may in fact be lucky enough to have a Hiett room where you can see us in action.
Little graves on the bridge don’t dissuade us. We continue living our best lives. We remember bug zappers and self-appointed assassins but still, you cannot kill us all. Some of us accept our short lives but others simply are oblivious and do not realize there will be big birds or humans or cold or light deaths or room deaths. Ah, naïveté, are we right?
We as river bugs are confused about these new tools you humans have. They seem designed to stop us from traveling into your noses or mouths. Well, you will soon learn that without a wire or a good fit, we can enter at will. Haha, it’s so funny when you try to get us out of your mouths…thank goodness we can still do that.
We also remember two years ago when our ancestors rode wind waves across this school and literally pelted students’ faces and eyes. Wow, I’m sure it’s happened since but it was so memorable. This school can be so fun sometimes.
Other times, we simply hover in air, thinking about how many generations of us got to see this school change. Some of us have seen the inside, some of us have seen the outside, and all of us have seen Hiett. That is our favorite place on campus; it’s right by our birthplace.
We could go on and on with these thoughts, but our lives are short. Remember to appreciate us while we are here, and be nice to us when you see us. It will get worse for you before it gets better. Thank you.
—your favorite neighbors,
River Bugs