I'm Palomena Prasina
Of the order Heteroptera
I might look a little tough
don't let the exterior scare 'ya

I'm a knight in shining armour
A truer bug you'll never find
Purpose woven in the fabric
Of a pattern well designed

I'm a family bug; my sigil:
Protector of the land
Some might call me stinky
but they don't understand

I'm the bottom of the pyramid
The stone that's holding fast 
Should I fall to this old war
the rest will tumble fast

We're not so different, you and I
Though you are big and I am small
Born of shapes hexagonal 
Not so separate after all

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Did you know shield bugs lay their eggs in a hexagonal pattern? I did not until today! Turns out hexagon’s are found all over the place in nature; bee hives, snowflakes, fruit, our DNA and even off-world on Saturn! I think I’ve fallen down a hexagonal shaped rabbit hole.

I’ve been noticing shield bugs for a couple of months.  They’ve landed on me, joined me for dinner and tried to hitch a ride in my car, it was clearly time to write a poem for them. Their visits have felt like an offer of protection: little did I know they’d also gift me hexagons and wonder. 

My wonderment has disappeared a bit lately; I’ve still been gazing at the sunset, noticing the shine on the fat, full moon, but some of the ordinary magic has been missing.  It returned today in the form of a YouTube video of shield bugs hatching, which I came across while researching for this poem.  It sparked laughter, joy, awe and it reminded me why I write these poems: because nature is awesome, and so often everything we’re looking for can be found in the simplest of things. 

Take a look at the video and let me know if it sparks anything for you (for my daughter it sparked, ‘ew, gross!’ so I appreciate we each find our wonderment in different places!)

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Thanks for joining me for another Sunday rhyme time. If you enjoyed this rhyme then please feel free to explore my blog, there are plenty more like it. Feel free to share if you know of anyone who might appreciate it too. You can also follow me on Instagram, and if you haven’t already then please consider subscribing. I never spam because I don’t know how and I’m slow and steady in my posting, so you needn’t fear inbox bombardment from me.