The damselfly
that just flew in and perched
atop the stake
I paced to lend support
to a tomato plant
is of the family
libellulidae with accent
I imagine on the u
its members known
simply as common skimmers
this one whose iridescent wings
flash in the sun
and vibrate with each subtle
puff of wind
is called the western pondhawk
her gold abdomen
says she's a female
her male counterpart
being mostly blue
her outsized eyes
can doubtless see me
still she holds on
to her post
lets me approach
to where if she stayed still
I could reach out
and touch her
but I wait
till she flies off
a creature from another time
another world
descendant of the giants
of the Permian
whose two-foot wingspans
were they still around
might cause alarm
brought down to size today
her nymphs are known
as naiads feeding on
the pond's mosquito larvae
while her kind
grace our backyard garden
with their aerial acrobatics
brilliant colors
darting here and there
among the summer flowers