To Pet a Dragonfly – a poem by Diane Elayne Dees

To Pet a Dragonfly

Is to be so aware of your own skin,
you feel it vibrate as it makes contact
with mystery. It is to be close enough
to observe the twitching of a tiny mouth,
and to wonder whether the iridescent
creature, shining in blue and red,
has something to say to you. 

To pet a dragonfly allows the truth
of who you are to be observed
by thirty thousand lenses. 
It is a small, yet significant, event
in your life. But for the dragonfly—
who lives mere weeks—the merging
of skin and exoskeleton is a lifelong
experience. Each day, you wonder
if you will ever see her again.

You remove your finger, 
she makes a complete circle 
above you, and lightly buzzes 
your head. Once she has blessed you, 
she disappears into the glossy 
green of the wild magnolia
on her brief journey through 
water, Earth and sky.



Diane Elayne Dees is the author of the chapbooks, Coronary Truth (Kelsay Books), The Last Time I Saw You (Finishing Line Press), The Wild Parrots of Marigny (Querencia Press), and I Can’t Recall Exactly When I Died (Kelsay Books). She is also the author of four Origami Poems Project microchaps, and her poetry, short fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in many journals and anthologies. Diane publishes Women Who Serve, a blog that delivers news and commentary on women’s professional tennis throughout the world. Her author blog is Diane Elayne Dees: Poet and Writer-at-Large.