If I Followed the Wandering Poet for dVerse Poets, May 9, 2024

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If I Follow the Wandering Poet

Who cares
if I swim naked in my pool?
All other human occupants
have left this neighborhood behind,
leaving more room
for possums, skunks,
birds, scorpions, spiders
and me.

I keep a closer company with them
than I do with any human these days.
This week, I talk to the large caterpillar
who seems to sprout two crystals from his crown
as he sits for a day on the Olmec head
that guards my swimming pool.

Back and forth, back and forth I pass,
adding a look at him to my lap routine.
For one long afternoon,
he sits still—like Alice’s caterpillar,
but hookah-less,
meditating in this grey place.

If he were on my Virginia Creeper,
I’d be repositioning him
to the empty lot next door, but here
he seems to be a guest; and so some etiquette
keeps me from altering his placement
as he sits on stone, moving his suction cups in sequence
now and then only to alter his direction, not his territory.

Perhaps I’ve stayed too long
in this one place.
That wandering poet within me
may have somewhere it thinks I need to go.
If it creates a good alternative,
I might follow in much the same way
that I have come to this point
in my poem.
Blindly, in a maze of words,
open to what comes next.

For dVerse Poets:  Write a poem about a walkabout or pilgrimage or wandering.

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Unknown's avatar

About lifelessons

My blog, which started out to be about overcoming grief, quickly grew into a blog about celebrating life. I post daily: poems, photographs, essays or stories. I've lived in countries all around the globe but have finally come to rest in Mexico, where I've lived since 2001. My books may be found on Amazon in Kindle and print format, my art in local Ajijic galleries. Hope to see you at my blog.

14 thoughts on “If I Followed the Wandering Poet for dVerse Poets, May 9, 2024”

    1. lifelessons's avatarlifelessons Post author

      I have never been able to figure out what those crystals growing out of its head were! I’ve seen the same caterpillars in my Virginia Creeper every year for 23 years but never saw one with crystals growing out of its head except for this one. One of nature’s mysteries.

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  2. Unknown's avatarAnn Garcia

    this made me sad. It touched the core of the wanderer in me but reminded me I’m more like the caterpillar, shifting back and forth on one plant. Don’t worry… I won’t invade that special plant. I know my boundaries at last!

    ann og

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  4. Lisa or Li's avatarmsjadeli

    That’s a mighty regal looking caterpillar. Would love to see what it morphs into. It is funny that it’s in a different place and acting differently. Also interesting that it may be bringing a message to you. I love what you did with the prompt, Judy. 

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  5. Eilene Lyon's avatarEilene Lyon

    Funky caterpillar. Probably infected with a fungus of some sort. Likely affects its behavior and will kill it, too.
    Aside from that – a wandering poem about wandering seems to be fitting.

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