She’s one queen of beauty&speed// a dragonfly quadrille

Posted on by claudia

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 🙂

40 responses to “She’s one queen of beauty&speed// a dragonfly quadrille”

  1. 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?

  3. 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.

  4. 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!

  5. 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.

  7. This is absolutely exquisite! I love “juking of the head towards the sun.” 💝💝

  11. 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.

  16. 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.

  17. 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?

  21. So nice to read your poetry again, Claudia! I like this glimpse of the elusive dragonfly. Hope you’re having a wonderful summer!

  22. 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.

  23. 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.

  25. 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

  26. 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.

  31. 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! 🙂

  32. Beautiful dragonfly quadrille – dragonflies always conjure for me sleepy summer days 😎.

  33. 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

  37. 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

  38. 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