For JCC

April 21st

Inspired by the nursery rhyme, “There was a man of double deed” we were challenged to write a poem that uses lines that have a repetitive set-up and rhyming couplets. For inspiration, I used this photo of a caterpillar of the Saturniidae Moth (note, there are many references to this being a butterfly, I am no botanist, so went with the most common reference) and did some research into the beautiful beast.

I wanted to try to portray the constant links and changes in its life phases, as well as the linked sections of its body, which would in turn be passed on and linked to the next generations of Rainbow Moths. I was left thinking about John Cooper Clarke once I had finished it, hence the title dedication. Credit to Marco Fisher for the photograph.

Did it fall from some space junk?

This metamorphic alien punk.

With coral ferns upon its head,

And wiry mittens of bright red.

With fungal head most clementine,

And rainbow spikes, like forks have tines.

With spears psychedelic it is span,

And with them it can kill a man.

With crampon legs it starts to climb,

And feed and feed till it is time,

With silk to weave a secret shed,

And from its cocoon it will abed.

With eye painted wings it will fly,

And cast rainbow flaps acrosss the sky.

With life no more than just a week,

And no more care for it to eat,

With fading genes it cannot wait,

And off it goes to find a mate.

With brilliant DNA now spread,

The kaleidoscopic moth falls dead.

Please do leave me your thoughts and comments, I appreciate them all and will reply.