A ladybug visits my studio
the very morning I read the news: insect
populations are crashing around the world—bees
and beetles plunged by forty-five percent,
German forests eerily silent, missing
seventy-six percent of flying insects,
their violin drone gone.
How is it that Homo sapiens, who harness
the furnace that incinerates worlds,
fear the diaphanous wings that vibrate
the summer air, so many bows drawn
across symphonic afternoon? How is it
we fear the glossy shields of beetles
who faithfully report to work every day,
tilling and aerating the soil?
When did we break our contract with silkworms
to weave the fabric of the world?
Plastic shoes alienate our toes
from the warm, wet muck of creation,
and with every step on our burning
asphalt path, we are further and further
from home. Yet still, this ladybug pivots
her compact beauty on my windowsill—hopeful
our broken telepathy can be repaired.
READ MORE
‘Hyperalarming’ study shows massive insect loss [Washington Post]
Several species of insects have almost completely vanished from some tropical forests [Science]
Germany’s insects are disappearing [Science]
Sean Arthur Joyce is a journalist, poet and historian with seven books published, ranging from Canadian history to poetry to a new novel, Mountain Blues, due out in May 2018 from NeWest Press, Edmonton, Alberta.
Photograph by Thomas Stephan.
