a photograph by Kevin Michael Davis, Alazanto
The Design Teacher
by Ethel Mortenson Davis
She taught him
to look at the dragonfly—
its color, design,
and to look at why their wings
moved the way they did.
They searched near
the small pond
and found the black and whites,
the emerald greens,
the slim turquoise and black damsels,
the orange and blues.
All had whirling lace wings
above their heads.
One day they saw
a golden dragonfly,
or so they thought–
so they came to find
the new dragonfly
in the late afternoon light
near the small pond
in a universe
that slipped through
a hole in the basket
never to be found
or picked up again.
