Friday, April 3, 2015

PO-EMotion -- Surprise




DRAGONFLY'S SURPRISE

All you can see
is the agile,
iridescent
aviator
I have become:
emperor of
the pond's airspace.

Imagine this:
in my nymph-hood,
I ruled below,
terrorizing
pond's murky depths,
spent years hunting
insects, tadpoles,
even small fish.
Extending my
overgrown lip:
flashing, snatching,
holding, munching.

Molting revealed
larger wing buds
each time, but no
hints of future
aeronautics.

Until one day,
in early dark,
I climbed a reed,
stopped with my head
above water,
learned to breathe air.
That accomplished,
I morphed from a
water creature
to the wonder
you see today.

Never, ever
undervalue
a lowly start.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015






Carol, at Carol's Corner, will join me again this year as often as possible.


Kimberley, at iWrite in Maine, is joining me this month. 

Kay, at A Journey Through the Pages, is joining, too!

Steve, at inside the dog, is sharing his poems 
in the comments at Poetrepository.

Linda, at TeacherDance, will join as often as she can.
Check the comments at A Year of Reading or Poetrepository for her poems.

Yay! Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is back this year,
 leaving poetry trax in the comments.

Jone, at DeoWriter, is doing a "double L" challenge. 
She and I are cross-poLLinating our challenges whenever possible. 

The roundup of  2015 Poetry Month projects throughout the Kidlitosphere can be found at 


Amy has today's Poetry Friday roundup at The Poem Farm.





10 comments:

  1. Wow. What a video. I knew they were fierce, but not THAT fierce.

    I love so much about this poem -- the idea of humble beginnings, the unseen labor in the down-below, the beauty of the transformation, the new life a transformation brings. And such wonderful words to show this, the specific words, the details...

    Love it. Thanks!

    Best to you,
    steve

    Here's a small moment of surprise, too.


    Moses

    Only a flash of crimson
    against a sullen sky --
    impossible fire,
    fleeting comet -- alights
    on a bare branch dripping
    in the orchard. He leans, tilts,
    and lets loose a song so clear,
    so filled with yearning,
    the seas of darkness part.
    The promised land
    beckons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your words have pulled me into this moment.

      Just curious about your process -- which came first, the title or the images?

      Delete
    2. The real surprise lurking behind this poem, what that of a girl raised in the semi-arid flatlands who had NO IDEA that there were insects who started their lives in the water. It was these aquatic insects that got me started fly fishing!

      Delete
    3. The title came last. It seems that my brain likes a good image and I try to fit words to it. Then I sit back and see where it takes me. This image took me to a rend in the gray fabric of the day, which reminded me of some long-lost Bible story about a rend in the temple fabric, which brought me to Moses and the promised land. Go figure...

      Delete
    4. That's what I suspected. I couldn't imagine setting out to write that poem, but I COULD imagine your delight and surprise as the words led you there!

      Delete
  2. Here's another dragonfly larva hunting video, if you're so inclined:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkOpWKyM_go

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Holy Ambush, Batman! That was a cool video. I'm going to have to show the kids these. We have a little creek behind the school. I've netted dragonfly larvae in it. Wouldn't that be fun??!!

      I'm also amazed at how quickly the backswimmer react. A hockey goalie ain't got nothing on them!

      Delete
    2. And how did you become such a connoisseur of dragonfly nymph-stage videos? This seems like very niche-type knowledge. :)

      Delete
    3. I've actually subscribed to this guy's YouTube channel. I could get lost there in the wonder and carnage of up-close nature!

      Delete
  3. Hi, Mary Lee--

    I'm surprised to find that it's already Sunday, and my developing round-up of the Forward...MarCH CHallenge includes a surprise poem, here. Your dragonfly autobiography is stunning, in several different ways!

    http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2015/04/surprise.html

    ReplyDelete