Eulogy for a Lanternfly

I’m under the influence

Of polka-dot hypnosis;

Kaleidoscopic vision makes you

Seem like an army, but

On this street corner,

Under flickering light,

You and I are alone.

Crimson peeks out beneath

Your grey shields--- fluttering,

flimsy. Wings rise and fall steady

as a clockwork dance.

My boots could squash you quick---

Printing press on pavement. I could

Engrave size-eights into your twitching mush

And save our old spinning rock

From the danger they warn me of.

Danger I am blind to when you

Look at me that way.

Two onyx orbs glistening

Timidly, a whisper too weak

For me to hear. If you were the one

With ears, I might tell you:

I think you are quite pretty. I would kiss you

On your microscopic mouth, spread

Your tired wings to massage your thorax,

Remind you of your worth,

But

Newspaper headlines

Flood my feet and

Rubber ridges of my

Sole stomp.

Snuggle notches of your hard-shell spine.

Dirtying my boots,

Cracking and crunching,

Your feeble voice rattles,

And your fading buzz…

A homicidal harmony.