Exquisite Praying Mantis

In my grandfather’s garden on St. Mary’s Street,

they crept, stemmy creatures with Popeye arms.

Every day at lunch we assembled toy blocks

with letters around the chipmunk’s fountain.

Eating peaches, juice running down our chins,

sticking fingers tossing pits in the grass,

watching the clouds fly by and imagining the

exquisite animals,

feeling the clouds filling my eyes, throwing

all the strange creatures into shadows of shapes.

The winged creatures donned their shadows,

landing beneath the clouds in peace,

two and two flew throughout the night,

and all five felt the magic of flight.

- by Mary Lynn Callahan, Tammy Christel, Meg Daly, Alice Grant, Sue Mortensen, Benj Sinclair, and Olivia Wheeler

This poem was created at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in conjunction with the “Exquisite Animal” exhibit, which runs through February 5, 2012, at 2820 Rungius Road.