Dragonflies

Lately they keep turning up everywhere... in fabrics and jewellery designs. With a steady persistence and increasing numbers they tap away at the psyche. The other day at the gym (which is on the second story of a shopping centre) was the first time one noticed them in person. They floated and flittered on the air currents; all glitter and movement.

Now the ground is swarming with them. You have to step through clouds of them as you walk to the bus stop. And as you walk it is impossible to distinguish between shadow and substance as they zip about in the dappled light coming through the trees. All you can do is trust that they will dart away at the last minute, thereby saving them from destruction.

The very first time one saw a dragonfly was a wondrous moment. Father was home and had been roped into some school excursion by mother and one was taken as well. There it perched on the bush as though aware it was a source of delight to one small child. It had a large striped body in orange and black, with clear blue tinged wings and it was huge. That dragonfly was built for distance and in hindsight one suspects it was not native to the area, but blown in by some freak air current.

Ever since then one has had a certain fondness for them... they are a sort of totem creature. Only a shoephile would choose a predatory insect... why settle for two or four legs when you can have six with a keen sense of the hunt. They have a tendency to turn up when life is in a state of flux or about to take an unexpected turn. Perhaps it is time to take a step into the unknown and dust off the resume.

Something closer to home would be nice. Something that doesn’t involve travel over that damn bridge, which has been condemned, would be smart... ‘cos one suspects that is going to cause delays in the future.