It’s the time of year when you might need dodge a hanging caterpillar while out for a walk or in the backyard. And you may need to check your clothes to make sure you don’t bring a stowaway with you back inside. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
It’s Worm-Wearin’ Season
spinning, spinning
twirling in mid-air
suspended by near-invisible thread
how long have you waited, hanging there
and what are you waiting for,
what do you seek
swung to and fro by the wind
thousands and thousands each one unique
and alone, distanced
always moving, but in place __ pinned
can you even imagine, little worm in the air
the transformation that waits
how your world will open and grow
when your wings, at last
unfurl, wet and new
and memory ancestral reminds you
that now
it’s time
to go
happy vaccination, everybody
the world is waiting
to wear you
