Brooks Robards writes poetry, nonfiction and fiction. Her 15 books include the poetry collections “Fishing the Desert” (2015) and “On Island” (2014). She writes movie reviews and profiles for newspapers and magazines. She lives in Northampton, MA, spends four summer months on Martha’s Vineyard and a month in Santa Fe, NM.
LADYBUG, LADYBUG
Ladybug, prettiest
of the beetles who find
their homes inside with us
has emerged from her winter
sleep. She crawls along
the ceiling so fast it’s hard
to see where she’s headed
if you look away for a minute.
Her red color with its black
dots, her round shape keeps
her safe from human marauders.
Instead we watch her embellish
a world so closed, where we are
trapped, waiting for an end
to illness, even death, to come.