Ancient pollinators
of the earliest flowers,
some look like tree bark,
or are hairy and stout,
others have enough iridescence
to make Tiffany pout.
And some have enough spots
to make a Dalmatian dizzy
or even smell worse than
a bum’s tizzy.
Ignored or squashed,
eaten by finches and sparrows,
found in the rock art of the Sahara,
the tombs of the Pharaohs;
Soldier, long-horned,
blister beetles,
sacred scarab,
humble click,
it’s clear that the Creator
had an inordinate fondness
for the lowly Coleoptera.