My neighborhood’s unkempt yards, standing pools of water, and rotting ungutted houses have led to a spike in the insect population, which has in turn led to a spike in the lizard population. Pre-K there were lots of green anoles, the occasional five lined skink, and the seemingly rare nocturnal geckos, which I only saw when the termites were swarming. Nowadays I don’t even know how many lizard species there are. I like to fantasize about new species being born out of toxic Katrina muck. I always see these little salamander things running under the weeds in my alley, plenty of skinks, and the anoles are everywhere. And when I say ‘everywhere,’ I am specifically referring to the inside of my house. They like to hang out in my curtains, mostly, and this morning I saw one on the wall in my hallway.

I love lizards, so this doesn’t really bother me. I will admit that I fear waking up in the middle of the night to find one perched on my face, or worse, inside of my snoring mouth. I also fear that they won’t be able to figure out how to get back outside and will starve to death, but what do I know. They seem to have taken control of my indoor mosquito population, so that’s great. I think when the weather gets too cold they’re all going to come inside my heated house seeking warmth. That could be a little creepy. I don’t like dogs or cats sleeping on the bed, much less reptiles. Hopefully I’ll have the walls and floors all sealed up by then, and can avoid such a scenario.