Net

What I remember
From the then:

Grasshoppers
Hammer the earth and then the wind
You'll never catch up.
It's more than long devision
But you must be a mathematician
And stay a leap ahead.
Not before, not behind,
But abreast.

Ladybugs
Have wings
And fear
And no warm blood to cradle them
In sleep
But numbers
And friction
And places beneath a bush
Where the cold can't touch them.
(But you can.)

Pillbugs
Are explorers
Turning down no terrain
The bottom of a rock
Cannot be very exciting.
Give them
A soft warm field;
Fine transparent grass
And five long branches
Sticking out over a pulsing cliff.

The only way
You stand to lose a
Worm
Is if your trowel
Overestimates the softness
Of the damp earth
And peeks
A little too close
Into their private lives

The Tomato variety
Isn't a worm at all
(Hawkmoth larvae;
Remind your mistaken father)
He carries only
A suction-dart gun;
Fear not
His skin
Like your puppy's ear.

Bees
Are not worth the trouble.

Butterflies
Touch gently
And you will get a gift;
Orange and blue,
The dust will not wash out,
And on a cold winter night
When your belly is full
And your heart is full
And your mind is full
And your years are full
Take off your gloves
And look down
And it will still be there.