Ladybug

Ladybug

Little ladybug,
content to creep along the grass
growing tall with springtime seed.
The cool sprinkler rain
beading on your spotted wings.

The curve of your back
stark red against the green;
like an apple
swinging in the wind
its surface broken only by perfect black spots.

I wonder at your slow journey;
quiet, deliberate,
exploring each blade,
content to feel the gentle rocking.

Aspen leaves dance in a flicker of yellow and green
Their rushing like water falling over stones.
Still you creep on
without wonder at the chaos around you;
unaffected by my internal pressure.

A puff of lawn mower smoke,
the ticking of a garden hose,
the smell of an approaching storm,
cannot dampen your peace.

Look up!
A pair of large grey eyes
carefully watches your journey
from a patch of Colorado blue.

My heart grows still and wild at once.
Will the quiet end?
Will you fly away this moment
or the next?

I capture joy,
snapping pictures like a frantic mother
trying to catch a fleeting birthday smile
flashing across a smudged face,
hoping to save it in her heart forever.

Our intersecting journeys
will diverge.
Our fragile connection
limited by a clock
you cannot feel.

Fly away ladybug, fly
and leave me with this timeful joy,
stolen from a frantic life.
Or rather, have you just delivered
a gift from our Creator?

Mindy Hirst
June 12, 2008