an interspecies encounter
True to her nature,
she feeds on me,
translucent abdomen
reddening, swelling,
filling to feed
future swarms.
True to my nature,
I slap her down,
splattering both of us
across my forearm
faster than thought.
My blood, her legs,
proboscis,
smashed wings,
an ugly poem
I still do not
know how
to read.
~ print version, Wry Welwood,
late 20th century.
submitted to Paper Poetry May, 2021
Thanks to Carolyn Hastings.