A water nymph for sure but never one to tempt the river god
No Diana is this dark hunter with Medusan mandibles
Instead a candid, hawkish carnivore
Subterranean bully hunting in the dirty depths
Orderly fashioned instar after instar gorging fit to burst
Primed for break out, breaking free from surface tension
To bake dry and step long-legged into the late Spring light
Ephemeral now in the airiest of guises
Razzle-dazzle winged hunter could tempt a river god
Anisoptera – still the hawkish carnivore
Links to my other dragonfly poems:
Anima
Sparks
An acrostic for the unequal winged Anisoptera in the Imaginary Garden with Susie’s “Bits of Inspiration ~ Dragonfly“: And it’s Birthday Celebrations with Toni’s Open Link night at dVerse
PoetryPix 
First of all I love your photo artwork, and your poem brings it to life. “Anisoptera” sounds like a predatory goddess/god, fitting it is actually the scientific name for a dragonfly. I also like the hawk comparison. I have a wetlands behind my house that creates the perfect hunting ground. Thanks so much for writing!
Anisoptera the dragonfly goddess sounds much better than the toothy family name of ordonata – an inspiring prompt from you Susie which gave rise to both photoart and poem – thank you
‘To bake dry and step long-legged into the late Spring light, ephemeral now in the airiest of guises’.. such powerful imagery in this, Laura!💕
thank you Sanaa- mixed beauty with the reality of dragonfly
💘
Each species has an ugly side, dragonflies might dazzle us but their habits are only slightly better than our own! At least the dragonfly larva turn into something beautiful but sadly we haven’t mastered that yet!
they are what they are – we are often less than we could be
That sounds like a water nymph to avoid.
only if you’re small fry 😉
Oh dear, the disillusionment! But still your words are beautiful – if sinister.
I know Rosemary – no tinted spectacles this time – a terrible beauty that never fails to charm when I see one in flight
p.s.read my other dragonfly poems – they are less down to earth!
Oh Laura, this is the other side of the dragonfly coin – ‘a candid, hawkish carnivore’! I love the way you describe it ‘breaking free from surface tension
To bake dry and step long-legged into the late Spring light
Ephemeral now in the airiest of guises’.
indeed the poem is almost underwritten by Blake:
“What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry? “
thank you for noticing both sides of this particular coin Kim
Wonderful execution of form using the esthetics of entomology at its most majestic!
a life span in 10 lines – thank you for your appreciation
I really love how you brought forth the cruel carnivore in the beauty of the dragonfly… marvelous.
dropping the romance and seeing with 2 eyes – another lovely carnivore
Just once I was in the right place at the right moment, and saw a dragonfly larva hunting. They shoot out their mouthparts like an underwater chameleon. Bizarre and never forgotten!
(This Diana is a vegetarian)
a magic moment Diana the vegetarian non-huntress with a beautiful south African garden still in the making 🙂 p.s. in truth I was thinking of you today and will stop by your blog at false bay since you must be nearly springing into summer
Love the art especially, but the verse is also lovely. Well done Laura
thank you Tina – this is my guise when not hiding behind camera lens 😉
kaykuala
Anisoptera – still the hawkish carnivore
A lowly Anisoptera can still be expected to be an amazing predator at certain times! Great use of words Laura!
Hank
Anisoptera still has to eat meat- unlike butterflies after their metamorphosis who merely sip nectar! Both have short lives nonetheless
Interesting hawkish carnivore but still a beautiful creature Laura ~
hawkishly handsome!
I can never quite decide if I like dragonflies. I can, however, be quite certain that I like your poem. Thanks.
Apologies for keeping you pending so long Sue and thank you for you words. Dragonflies have a somewhat fearsome aspect