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| The Ledpidopterist, Dennis Morris |
1.
Pheromone
flakes were dropped from a plane
This
week to fool the gypsy moths,
Scattering
scent so widely they’ll be confused,
An
aromatic birth control.
She
says they’re pests, not pollinators
Like
her carefully nourished caterpillars.
Waiting
for each pupa to break open
In
winged glory, she wants to know, why
Do
the butterflies get all the good press?
2.
I
think of her as she might look
Caught
in a photo flash,
Her
arm extended like Isadora Duncan
As
she reaches up to snatch
A
luna moth from the evening sky.
3.
She
has a cage on her back porch
Where
females call with their scent:
A
male sometimes travels miles
Attracted
by a single molecule.
These
are rare species she’s breeding,
Arranging
introductions, Miss Moth, meet
Mr.
Moth. She’s even been known to
Take
a hand and help matters along
When
cobwebbed antennae blinded
A
suitor to his ladylove
Now
scant inches away.
4.
I
tease the Moth Madame about pimping
But
the truth is I admire
A
woman who sets her clock for 3 a.m.,
To
keep the dance of life moving.
Lola Lucas
