Dipping and diving, double wings beating to a steady hum
Lacy wings lift you high, yet what brings you down to kiss water,
Spawning gentle ripples into watery infinity?
Upon your own reflection, cool your spindly legs-
Understandable narcissism easily forgiven
Before the bass or bream can snap, you ascend upon transparent wings
To ride the warm summer's breeze with your aerial kith and kin.

Butterfly in all her finery can not grace the hot air as you do, friend.
She is clumsy and fragile, and her flight is a graceless flutter.
But you, when you ride the hot wind you never lose control.
Your hard, colorful body ends in an elegant aerodynamic point.
The breeze loves you, caresses you and yours in your myriad hues.
How carefree is your mid air coupling when you meet
A waltz over the water, the joining reflected there upon.

Some are shiny, blue-black with wary, peircing eyes
Another is unearthly brilliant green with wings opaque
Here's a yellow brother hovering near the lily pad
Tis no wonder that worshipful mortals mistook you once-
For you could be fairies, the good folk of the other realm
Watching over the kind-hearted and true who venture near,
Near your paradise of freshwater and warm August air

Hover back, to and fro, you command the very wind!
Up and down, taunting fish, bird and frog and child
Perhaps in my dreams tonight, I will aspire to become you,
You of the clear, lacy wing who's dominion is summer's air and pond.
Tiny you, who today hummed past my head with such authority,
Such that, large being that I am, I cowered to your boldness
Then spent an hour enraptured by your delicate domination of late summer

Kelly