Look! Can you see? Out of the window?
Snowflakes are falling, white blankets are forming.
Patience, little one,
Soon it will be quilted and quiet.
Not far away, three small mammals are doing their sleeping:
The dormouse, pipistrel and the solitary hedgehog -
Mystical prickled pig of the hedgerow.
Ssh, she's away with the fairies.
Snug in her nest, may her slumbers be blessed.
One in a million,
She's a spherical urchin
Curled tight on a cushion of twigs.
Hedgehog is dreaming, snuffling,
To chobble on tanklements of millipede and earwig.
No, no, no!
No mediaeval harbinger of doom -
She's a bristly broom,
Self-anointed by toad skin and poo,
She brushes in spring anew.
And in the half-lit, moonlit summers,
Her little donnies will write spells -
Not ‘ills’, with her quills,
As trails of silvered cursive script
In the glistening ink of snails -
Near nanny’s pots and pails on the patio.
Later, little one,
Her thorny needles will stitch cobwebs of autumn
Between the railings on the hill,
Knitting together a tapestry of seasons.
Shapeshifting.
Bewitching.
i smile at people all day long
young and old
fat or skinny
abled or disabled
strange looking or plain as can be
it’s all the same
but when it comes to me
too fat too wrinkled too old
i’m full of criticism
and i can hardly bear
to glance into the mirror
if this would be a friend
confiding in me
i would be appalled
i would shake them and
tell them they’re crazy
and to snap out of it
so hear me, you be my witness ~
i’m committing here and now
to wear my grand-mother’s ring
(the most beautiful woman in the world)
to remind me beauty is in the heart
we should remember always
that kindness is what’s beautiful
and keep that earwig in our ear
AP: 2nd place 2025
My pet is a pincher bug
Called earwig said cousin Doug
Takes little room, lies on my mug
I click photo, he looks quite smug
He can really dance and cut a rug
I love Barney Bee my pincher bug
I fled the kiln
of the house
where ceramic floors
bake like focaccia bread.
My haven is a bench
in the shade of an oak,
praying for a breeze.
A bevy of bees hover
over blushing jasmine
and scarlet lilies,
dousing me with honey
in July's sticky air
as my finger
culls a drowned earwig
from my glass of iced tea.
~~~~~~~~~~~
you are in my head...
so glad you can't read my mind...
earwigging... earwig...
~~~~~~~~~~~
YUCK
I know we are supposed to love them
all creatures great and small
I know God had a reason
when he created those that crawl
even those that creep and flit
are part of a master plan
filling every earthly niche
in air, in water, on land
but Lord in your mighty scheme
please tell me in what mood
as you perused your work
and saw that it was good
inspected every nook and cranny
touched every leaf and twig
prompted you without a glance
to invent the pesky earwig.
Ten times a fish cake can be as explosive as an atomic earwig playing with a red hot poker. But a reclusive sea horse often climbs up a cliff. But only when the moon is fat, round, and pink with some blue. Blueberries on the other hand chase pillows around on a street. It is rather interesting and entertaining too. But ooohs and aaahs from sealed bras are neither can can dancers, flip flops or flamingos. So always trip over at least once over a mop bucket especially when ironing a pair of spotted silky trousers. Most often it is deemed necessary for an iron spoon to see a film at a cinema. Cinematic clothes choosing charming chatting chequered creations. And all the little bugs wave. Good. Fish in a pan of stew with a maggot then. Fantastic. Xxxxxxx beautification Z Z Z Z Z
A fat grassland is neither a wasteland nor a heather mountain. It is wise to twirl a large ink dotted feather flock to the sky uniformed but not adhering to dress codes of societal norm. When norms are very nautical nowadays and can disappear and disparate under a cotton candy dream boat on a cruise to the sands. It is nevertheless an unforgettable view constructed by fashioning cheese on one slice of bread. This will surely ensure that bean is comfortable. But bringing banging blackness is not wise in front of a large herd of officialdom as curriculum based language leaving is a learning leaning laugh. And now it is time mr lobster face to vacate these premises. For there are no vacancies for tide is not moving and there is now no waves. Due to incorrect malnutrition placed by curtailing cartwheeling faces that drawl out words akin to a squeaky rifle that is being polished to a tune. No ha ha no x and no z either. That was the p y q reporting from an earwig tantrum zone with lots of earwigs dressed in attire more suited to a war. Bmnbmnbmn. |
crawling biting lacerating
sniffing, chewing
tunneling through
damp, waxy tunnel
ahh, sweet white brain
awaits…
gulping orange wax
swimming, striving
wait, I’m stuck!
what is this obstruction?
a strange, tough membrane…
elastic and taut
yes, of course, it’s the eardrum
foiler of earwigs
gotta punch through
snip tear poke rip slice
barely squeezing through
billowy elastic
syrupy warm fluid
slowing me down
sniffing pinching testing
struggling driving thrusting
ahh, finally…
the glistening white membrane
whoa, it’s slippery!
So plump, so electric!
white cheesy wonderland
viscous holiday
millions of neurons
Storing thoughts and feelings
master control center
the very essence of consciousness
right under
my brown, scaly legs
my prickly feet skittering
across the pulsing ridges
I believe I’ll deposit
Some filth…
I had a yen for home grown peach
And found but one that I could reach.
I picked and took a bite at once
To taste of its sweet succulence.
Then looking fat and fully fed
An earwig raised his ugly head;
And looking me straight in the eye
Dared me that next sweet bite to try.
I very calmly took his dare,
Next time I looked, he wasn’t there.
No lowly insect takes my peach;
The only one that I could reach.
Why
oh why,
earwig fie!
choose you not to
fly ?
Hare says I am far too slow
Earwig says to crawl below
Dormouse says and also toad
Go with care when on a road
Eagle says be keen of eye
Hen says crossing why am I?
Owl says wiser I should be
Good advice they all give me
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