You're a Pretty But Fat Caterpillar

I see you crawl along the Eucalyptus branch,

You're nothing more than a pretty slug,

But you attract more than a casual glance.

As you shimmy-sham like some sexy, smug,

Over dressed girl looking for the next advance.

With your green and blue satin-like dress,

Electric red and purple spikes,

You're dressed up to impress,

And there really is so little to dislike.

But something else one might address,

Perhaps you had no choice,

You had to wear what nature chose for your dress.

Maybe you didn’t have a voice,

But you're still just a pretty, but fat caterpillar.

[Author's note: The Emperor Gum caterpillar is unique to the east coast of Australia. It feeds almost exclusively on Eucalyptus leaves, which probably explains its distribution. As kids, they were a favorite to keep in a shoe box until they formed cocoons.

Little did I know that when I was doing my Master's thesis, my Supervisor passed away suddenly. These creatures would rear their heads again. The University tried to persuade me to switch to studying these caterpillars as an alternative project. Luckily, it didn't turn out, but in the time I looked at them,, they were just pretty, fat caterpillars that had one thing on their mind - eating!]

Till next time,

Calvin

For Elli Hoov's Day 8 Challenge: