Conversing with insects

Helena Reid

She hides from the thunder of his voice,
the lightning of his anger
among insects
Silently, conversing with ants in hushed tones
about small things

Curling herself into slimy snail shells,
retracting her feelers to no longer suffer
his piercing glare,
following silver trails to hide at the base of plants
in damp darkness

Quivering on butterfly wings
she escapes his tight grip
Settling on flowers far out of reach,
teasing with tantalizing colours
but resisting the fatal lure of touch

Mosquitoes instruct her to sting
big he-monsters into submission,
bees perform dying rituals gracefully
after tasting the sweetness of revenging
themselves on gigantic ogres

In tiny gulps she drinks in the wisdom
of ants and snails bees mosquitoes and butterflies,
then takes minuscule steps towards him
– building up courage in minute bits –
to face, head-on, the force of his fist.



LitNet: 14 March 2006

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