Poem: "Dragonfly"


Dragonfly

Trying to escape its own fire a firefly dies

            Yamada Mizue


Motorcyclist of the air, look out
for oncoming summer, the roar of flies
dangling like daredevils from tiny wings.
You too are a devil, serpent, but fly
at full stretch, with deadly purpose,
at accidents. Look out for ponds,
the frogs’ hunting ground. Throttle back,
release. See water boil noiselessly.
This is how all life began and you
beget too, a Levitical line. Dragon,
look out for the significant detail
of yourself, the hardest job, goggle eyes,
the long but useless legs, the shape
a cross with two horizontal bars,
the top for the nails, the lower,
slightly larger, for powering up.

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