I'm not certain mosquitos are real quite frankly. Love the title of this in particular and also the line "Likewise, vampires avoid the sunlight." It could be the word likewise that draws me - it's one of those words that if you stare at it for long enough you lose its meaning completely.

And due to a weeklong e mail software failure I was unable to wish you a happy birthday. Hope it was a good one with candles blazing in the love.

only the females bite
they like your exhalations
and your sweat
and likewise your protein
and cecil...
they don't appear to mind
the sunshine

e wrote:
"they don't appear to mind
the sunshine"

no, they don't. but -- just think about it. what if they did? and what if vampires were real and also sucked blood and were afraid of the sun?

wouldn't that be eerie?

yes, ok, that would be eerie.

and what if vampires made that obnoxious wee buzzing noise right in your ear before they pounced?

for one thing, you'd know to swat at them before they could suck you into their reflectionless clan. and, too, this would yield another poem entirely (oh, maybe, "likewise annoying, largely fabricated")--a poem without any of the charm of the original, alas.

cec, you know i'm no second cousin twice removed of the truth, but, some dengue mosquitoes bite during the daytime. and, while i'm no step-uncle of a medical doctor, dengue is characterized by fever, myalgia, headache, and rash. for those unlucky ones, hemorrhagic dengue has bleeding from the nose, gums, and venipuncture sites. horrible all around.

and, while i'm no descendant of dracula's, at least vampires offer you eternal life with a hickey.

"The Art of Love: knowing how to combine the temperment of a vampire with the discretion of an anemone."
---E.M. Cioran