Remembering Dragonflies and Damselflies

Before the fear of the West Nile virus

Drove the government to kill off the mosquitoes,

There were dragonflies and damselflies aplenty.

They would warm up with the earth and water in the spring, and

Fly, reproduce, and

Fill my life with much beauty and joy. 

Now there are very, very few dragonflies and damselflies.

I am not permitted to complain:

The West Nile virus is carried by mosquitoes, and

Mosquitoes are not precious,

At least not as precious as humans,

In the eyes of humans. 

But the insecticide has not yet reached my mind.

I remember dragonflies and damselflies,

How they warmed up with the earth and water in the spring, and

How they would sometimes make me a gift

By pausing on a plant or on a barbed wire.

--May 24, 2013