Giant Long-Legged Katydid
Macrolyristes corporalis
A squashed Brussels sprout
with whip-like antennae
this is not. This tunes into luck
with the entire sound system
of its body, making the jungle
vibrate with enough light
and energy to outpace the sun.
This is every winning lottery ticket,
rabbit foot, horseshoe, four leaf clover.
When it blinks, shooting stars
escape from its eyes.
You want to hold it
the way you love someone
the most, knowing probability
has been bent like light and space
to make this moment
appear timeless.
Hercules Beetle
Dynastes hercules
A male hercules beetle
could balance the moon
on its large obsidian horn
given enough time.
Given enough time,
the moon might bend its horn
into a bow, flinging itself
back into its place in the sky.
The beetle might miss the void
created after these few seconds,
the way I chased after you
into the streetlights and watched
you disappear into their beams.
I would have carried the stars
on my back for a few more seconds.
Christian Ward is a UK based writer who can be currently found in Open Minds Quarterly, Eskimo Pie and Literary Yard. His work has appeared in many other publications.
Stone Poetry Quarterly 