
Her stiff armor, fixed
onto a sea rose leaf as she clings, wings
like parchment, delicately glistening;
I check on her each hour, motionless, &
utmost vulnerable in the breeze, she hangs, slight
juking of the head towards the sun, a_shiver,
wings/spread — &she’s gone
Bri is hosting an anniversary quadrille prompt over at dVerse today
If you want to write one as well, please feel free to join! The prompt goes up at 3pm EST.
I’ll be hosting poetics tomorrow with a garden prompt 🙂
My fascination this summer has been a baby praying mantis. He is no bigger than a nickel. He travels down the screen on the porch first thing in the morning and I usually catch his later on the way back up.
Dragonflies are cool. Saw one yesterday with black stripes across the translucent wings and it looked like little black dots floating offside of it. Oh and don’t get me started on the hummingbird. I have one that likes to hover right in front of me on the back porch. When I try to talk to him, he is off and away though.
All of them make me wonder what they are thinking of me, as I am thinking of them. Nice little snap shot in verse. Is that a glimpse into your garden as well?
How have you been my friend. It has been a long time. All the country closures have kept me stateside the last 2 years. I am itching to get back into the field. Looks like next summer will either be Nepal (if reopened) or Africa (to do soccer clinics outreaches).
Finished my doctorate. Getting my prinicpal’s license. Family is well.
How about you?
So good to see you here again. I’ve missed you! A beautiful homage to an elegant creature. Do take good care.
I love to see dragonflies down by the pond close to where we live… I read somewhere that they are becoming rarer due to climate change, so people come to Sweden to do dragonfly-gazing…
So nice to see you, and I realize it was two years since we met in Stockholm.
I love the motion of dragonflies, and ‘juking’ is the perfect way to describe it. You took me back to a summer day watching a dragonfly by the pool: simply wonderful!
I love how you delicately described her – stiff armor, wings like parchment, a shiver of a moment. And of course, the title is a poem itself. Glad to see you Claudia.
I love dragonflies, and you have captured their spirit here so well.
This is absolutely exquisite! I love “juking of the head towards the sun.” 💝💝
So beautifully captures one of nature’s special moments.
This is so lovely–a perfect description in an elegant flow.
Such amazing wordplay/construction in the final two lines. Lovely!
Dragonflys have always been magical to me. “wings
like parchment, delicately glistenin” just the perfect description…and then a_shiver…and it’s gone. A shiver of delight in my watching her? LOVE the insertion of this word play here that can go a number of ways.
Claudia, I don’t see a “like” button, but I like your poem about and appreciate your nature watching.
Nice one
Happy Monday
Much💜love
So lovely. Great photo too. Lovely to read you, Claudia. Yay for ten years of dVerse.
Beautifully described and mesmerizing!
My comment didn’t save. Nor a huge fan of format poetry, but ncie to see stuff you’ve written. I like “I check on her each hour, motionless” line. Very smooth.
So impressive to connect a dragonfly with “Juke”. To take the time to witness, to enjoy, to enshrine the insect is poetic majesty. It is so nice when you drop by. Are you still painting?
How wonderful to read your poetry again, and this one is as beautiful as that dragonfly.
I like them best when they fly away. Not much of a bug-man, me.
You paint it well, though. Thanks.
i am seeing the dragonflies flirting around the pond of a village green 30 mins walk from my home. great in the summer with a cold beer.
So nice to read your poetry again, Claudia! I like this glimpse of the elusive dragonfly. Hope you’re having a wonderful summer!
So glad you wrote about the magical mystical dragonfly … during a recent visit to an antique shop, my son found two vintage iron dragonflies with nail/prongs attached … they now embellish an outdoor wooden deck table. Magic indeed.
Anything dragonfly gets me going – I enjoy watching them. I was floating in a pool and one landed on my toe. It was surreal …so nice to see you again. You still have a keen eye for the small details and beauty of nature.
Nature, so very full of wonder. Thank you for sharing this beautiful tribute to her.
I haven’t had one of these drop in my e-mail for a while. I guess it flew away just like the dragonfly. Good to read your stuff today! How do I get subscribed to Poetics? Peace
I am enjoying them so much this summer too. Parchment wings is perfect. I love that you keep watch in such a tender, maternal way. This is beautiful. I have missed your writing.
“…and she’s gone.” Loved it.
How lovely is this! The flower and the dragonfly. Mesmerizing nature and you have captured it beautifully with your words. ☺️
An elegant depiction of the dragonfly and I could really feel the intrigue and care you had towards him/her.
“her”!! Don’t know how I missed that. So drawn in by the beauty, I suppose. 🙂
Ah, the parchment wings. This feels like a stolen moment, which I quite enjoyed.
Loved this time spent with your dragonfly Claudia. Congrats on seeing your and Brian’s efforts still deep rooted and going strong after 10 years. . So many poetry/writing prompt sites, including two of mine, (Writer’s Island” & Matinée Muse) have come and gone in the 17 years I have been posting my work online. I posted to all of them. This year is my 58th year as a poet/lyricist having written my first two songs in 1963, at age 16, for my surf-rock group, the “Triptides”. We were a surf-rock group performing out of Cincinnati Ohio. Go figure? Oh well, we were young. The two songs were “Lonely Beachcomber” and “My Heart Breaks Like A Wave”. I will not inflict you with the sappy ‘young love’ lyrics, but never stopped writing after that. Oh well, sorry, I ramble. Any way, congrats to you snd Brian on 10 years! 🙂
Beautiful dragonfly quadrille – dragonflies always conjure for me sleepy summer days 😎.
So nice to give a thought to nature, Claudia! The dragonfly and flowers are a fair
combination representing nature. Love it!
Hank
Extended herewith Hank’s response to your wonderful comments. Be seeing you Ma’am!
Claudia July 13, 2021 at 7:42 AM
ha – nice – it’s awesome to watch a good soccer player – having no talent myself when it comes to soccer – but def. can appreciate it
kaykuala July 13, 2021 at 3:05 PM
Thanks a lot! So wonderful to see you back Claudia! Did not see you for many years. How are your painting days? You produced great paintings, I remember!
Glad you are hosting tomorrow!
Hank
I absolutely love this, Claudia, and the references to parchment and armor. I love the photo too. I’m a fan of water lilies.
My word – it’s been a while since one of yours popped up in my inbox!
perfect ~
This was gorgeous, and I especially love how the ‘juking’ was so natural and subtle – I would never have known that you had to include that word if I’d come across this poem in any other context, Claudia!
❤
David
SMiLes Claudia,
i Chased A Bee For A
Clear Picture This Morning
Meanwhile A Bee Teaches me
Who i am A Distance too Close
or too Far to Focus So Many Buds
to Pollinate Now
Then For New Peppers
GRoWinG Clerodendrum
And Orange Butterfly Flowers
too Asking my Wife the Name
A Small Baby Chameleon Hop Scotching
Leaves Leading to Pink Clerodendrum Glory Flower
Heart Beat Colors All Brought to Life From Busy Bees
And Butterflies After That i Saw too Anyway returning
Now with a rest of this Expression of Living in Heaven Now
One of the Few People Who ever Commented on my Blog Poems
Told me He could No Longer Comment as i Was A Democrat Sacrificing
Baby’s Then Telling me 9.4 MiLLioN Words Has no Value And Mixed
Capitalization in Word Play Serves No Useful Purpose Either Yet
You See i Understand
The Value of A SMiLe
As All Those Words
Were Only Copy And
Paste Applauds in Poetic
Responses i Bring to All Souls
Of Others for all 94 Months Now
FRee aLL Around A Busy Bee Globe Yes
And More Dancing Starting on dVerse too
8 Years Ago Now True Instinctually Innately
Intuitively Free
A Busy Bee
Does what
A Busy Bee
Does Love For
This Life Needs No Reason
At all Just Busy Bee Being
in Every Living Deed Free
The Busy Bee is Still
Busy the Noble
Chameleon
PoSinG
Bright
Green
God enough for me
Such A Clear Pic Butterfly Fluttering This
Dance And Song of Nature Nether Land
A Never Ending Story Just For Living Play Free
the details here you used to describe these majestic beings took my breath away.