Coccinella Magnifica
A mystery to some, but not to me,
why one would call thee, "Lady"
Other beetles could be called fair,
some would even argue scholarly
But gentlemanly?
Now that's a stretch
if I ever heard one
Have you ever seen a bloke worth his salt
sporting a polka-dot dress?
(...probably best
to just let the question lie...)
But don't take my advice,
tiny traveler, antenna-clad
Hop aboard this here fingertip
if adventures be your wish
(and boredom be your curse)
It's sure to be a bumpy ride,
but you'll have a smile a mile wide
(for me quite literally)
Just hang on tight and I cross my heart
I won't let you hurt...
...on this skyscraper of a vehicle
you traverse
I'll show you the greener grass
and the fairer fields
You can show me the tiny wonders
of your micro-plains, your myriad kind
(take a breath on this here forget-me-not
I'm sure you won't mind)
For it's just a quick stop
and all at once - we're back again -
to wonders many
and thousand mile 'n' hour winds
(is your seat-belt strapped in?
because we're gonna go fast)
Past the neighborhood block
and maybe the next neighborhood too
(but the moment we reach the county line,
that's when we'll have to think things through)
Reassess
Take it in
Not all of life takes place
on a giant's back (however well meaning)
Sometimes we have to make our own movements,
even it's meager
(even if it's fleeting)
My six legged ruby
from fingerbridge
to fingerbridge
I don't know if I was your beginning
or your middle,
but in either case
you'll have to finish
...your steps not mine
(I swear it will be divine)
Not an easy trip,
but it'll be worth it
and you'll be a better ladybird
for it
(if you had pinkies
I'd make a promise,
but you'll just have to take
my word for it)
You can't stay forever, little one,
any second you must depart--
to open air and summer sound,
to aqua skies (and smaller friends)
Find a home, oh precious gem,
far away from this earthquake ground
For we both knew this moment would come
when you took that first freckled-step
to my welcoming nail;
our curious outfit was destined to fail,
not with pomp and fanfare
or trumpets of exuberance,
but with the whisper of wings
(see that crimson jewel
becoming one with the blue?
how it sings)
It's gonna hurt like a gram of bricks
(but not too quick, toothpick,
let me let you in on a little secret)
we'll cross that knuckle
when we come to it
Copyright © Timothy Hicks | Year Posted 2020
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