The Tangled Branch Discussion Forums

Bugged

Pinned, backside down,
against foam core
white as a lab coat,
limbs flailing in air,
antennae groping
for direction.
Missing a vital organ,
the pin holds securely
while the thrashing
will last till starvation.

Nice poem - grim finale.
An allegory for MWC, is it? Just asking.

T

Yikes- v effective, the desperation. Sad! Do...insects even have vital organs? Probably

Well written!

Best,
Sharon

Hi Kate,

I take Tracy's point about an allegory. Like Sharon I wonder about insects/organs (the insect on its back triggered a thought of Kafka's Metamorphosis). The dynamic of flailing/groping/thrashing are pinned brilliantly with the finality of starvation.

best

Phil

I just googled insects/organs - and yes they do - learning is part of this poetry lark

Thanks All. This, obviously, was a quick ditty to help populate the board.

Signed, Bug

Crual world ! And cold blooded statement. It does read like a metaphor...

And I add I like the use of future at the end (will last...)It reinforces the cruelty touch : you will suffer long, and then only will you die.

Extremely vivid, Kate. Like it a lot. So glad you're here!

Is it OK to cry over a poem about a bug? The only saving thought is that they don't have much of a frontal lobe.
Good tell--the mention of the foam core as white as a lab coat. The dry eye of scientific observation. There are so many ways life on this planet (including human) becomes the subject of statistics, polls, consumer research etc etc. pinned down indeed.

Oh dear! My father in law used to do this. He did butterflies and ichneumon wasps. I didn't share in his passion.

The poem describes it quite vividly. Made me shiver. Well done.