BIG BLACK BEETLE

You big beautiful beetle 

your gangling gait so slow

I watch you as you go 

over the leaves and twigs

you know

my eyes intensely focussed on your 

shining polished back, 

so black, 

the form of an upturned bowl

not camouflage but shield

and yet your fine protection

when tossed or turned around

leaves you helpless 

upside down

a dainty dish for some

but in our eyes you shine

your legs so small 

we sense them all

struggling to survive

in a world so great in size 

you cannot fathom it,

or know what we do as you go,

from stone to stone 

and hide.