Enter Stage Right: Cicindela

On By dorahakIn Poems, Prompts
Cicindela sexguttata, also known as the green tiger beetle, Catoctin Mountain Park

It was my walk you were on
hunting caterpillars, spiders and ants:
cicindela sexguttata, tiger beetle
after its prey in a flashy fluorescent kind of way

I stopped, you froze, neither of us camouflaged,
me turmeric topped in white jeans,
you in green metallic sheen
me on all fours to examine you better
you on all sixes to beat it if you had to

I exited stage left, you stayed put, focused,
a cirque du soleil wanderer, stray spotlight hoarder
ready to celebrate with a juicy meal
of tang-colored butterfly puddling nearby

When comic relief: a crow flaps its wings
while you race for your prey but your timing is late,
the butterfly flutters off and I shout off the bird
and you meander onward, a green blaze of disgust.

Join the dVerse poets as we write on "Creepies and Crawlies," for Poetics Tuesday.

29 thoughts on “Enter Stage Right: Cicindela”

  8. I love the parallel perspectives of beetle and observer, Dora. And your imagery is exquisite:

    ‘a cirque du soleil wanderer, stray spotlight hoarder’

    We have some scarab beetles here that are truly beautiful, even if they feed on dung!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. What a wonderful moment so perfectly described, Dora! The cirque de soleil beetle, you, the curious human, a nearby watchful crow – a fabulous jostle of food chain antics! 🙂

    I love that you got on all fours to examine it better, and i also enjoyed its disgust at the end 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Heh. Born and raised with cartoons I was. It occurred to me that the fluorescent coloring was meant as a dietary warning ⚠️ but too lazy to do the research. 😜Can’t wait to see what you’ve written… but I suspect hilarity!
      pax,
      dora

      Liked by 1 person

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