it was a fuzzy soft white delicate
inch-long caterpillar two stiff black hairs
sticking up aslant slightly behind its
small black head-knob two more aslant
slightly before its tiny black end and spaced
down its white fuzzy back a line of twelve
little black spots a study in black on white
as it went about its small business that was
this morning earlier I awoke in the dark an
owl duet was in progress baritone and tenor
calling back and forth then a whole antiphonal
owl chorus joined in to sing me back to sleep
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2012.
