Before the Storm Wet the Earth

A ladybug landed on my knee
as I sat alone in a meadow
awaiting the rain.

With its tiny head cocked

and a trust in my silence
it seemed to ask,

"Do you think I am beautiful?"

But all I could do

was look away
and wonder what stories
my face was telling.

 

From the book Kairos. Also won 1st place for poetry at the 5th Annual Skyway Writers Festival in 2000.