Maiko Kikuchi, Prism, 2018 (Artist Website)
Paper and acrylic paint on colored paper
Again the cat was full of fleas. Even the vacuum
couldn’t suck them from the house. They sprang
onto our calves—eyelash flicks, lost wishes
blown from fingertips, too many to count—Out
cat, out! It was so hot the caged tomatoes burst,
leaking seeds onto peat moss. I was searching
for grubs, the oleander starting to shed,
when a caterpillar, swollen, raised its bulging
head. O awful eyes that never blink! It hovered
as if blind, scenting its way down the branch.
I nursed it in a jar until wrapped in silk
it hung, the color of warning.
Then it emerged, wings wet and flapping, the pupa
slit open to let nightmares out.