Ant colony under a rock. Nurses frantic,
Carried pupae. Ran towards nowhere.
Soldiers confused by the stampede.
Leafhoppers on chokeberry leaves.
Harvestmen or daddy long legs,
Damselflies, woodlice, slugs,
Wolf spider spinnerets with sacs,
A brown widow and its latest catch,
An exoskeleton stuck like a patch.
Ants searching for nectar in withered peonies,
Lady beetles playing hide and seek in junipers,
A yellowjacket devouring a damselfly,
A bean leaf beetle contemplating on a pod.
Dandelion seeds stuck on chokeberries
Spider webs secured in sticky, folded leaves,
Abundant with unfortunate, trapped insects.
An ill-fated ant stuck on paint still wet.
Seed pods of poppies and fireweed,
Cinquefoil pistil and stamens --
Thumbelina’s lovely universe.
MLJ/16082025/MacroLensInTheBackyard