Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Poem of the Day: “Poetry for the Insects of this World” by David Pring-Mill, Frequent Contributor and Poet of the Week

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present “Poetry for the Insects of this World” by David Pring-Mill, a Songs of Eretz Frequent Contributor and this week’s Poet of the Week.  A biography of the poet may be found in the “About Our Editor & Frequent Contributors” section.

Poetry for the Insects of this World
David Pring-Mill

For ants:

A morning is revealed.
In the comforts of home,
I grab my beard trimmer.

After I shave, the little hairs
scatter
in the sink basin,
creeping up
against white ceramic.
on first impression,
they look like ants.
and they were on my face.




For a wasp:

You crawl
on my takeout sushi, avoiding
wasabi.
I swipe, indirectly
at the generality of air
near narrowed stripes
of yellow, black;
and we play
the game of enemies,
each anticipating…

You land again,
I swipe again.
A clear idea forms,
And I take
the transparent cover
from my takeout case,
and place
it over you,
pinning
frantic flight
against picnic table.

Observing panic, then patience,
I finish my food;
I free you.

You're liberated now,
Free to parasitize,
To prolong
an ancient ecology.


For a ladybug:

Ah, dear ladybug,
your life's value
is widely respected,
with flamboyance
as your saving grace.
More adored
than the average beetle,
you are a testament
to embellishment.
(And sometimes,
you eat aphids.)

Because of you,
we reconsider
the stylistic impressions
we make.





For the housefly:

People feel wise,
agile, and accomplished
when they catch or swat you
on the first attempt.
For you,
there is little novelty
in this.




For mosquitoes:

My fellow humans:

Did you know
only female mosquitoes
imbibe blood?
So every time
you slap one
on your skin,
you are being a misogynist.



Poet's Notes:  I believe that poetry can be a vehicle for humor. Therefore, I wrote a poetic tribute to some insects. 

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