Poetry
Cotesia Glomerata
Trevor Conway
issue four
It’s that unmistakable lure
that draws the wasp to this leaf of cabbage:
the smell of the caterpillar’s saliva.
Through their struggle,
the wasp injects its eggs
and staggers away to the bright sky.
How oblivious,
the plump host,
munching through the hours
as larvae feed on its insides
and chew towards its skin
to bore their way into the world.
Somehow, its wounded body
survives the ordeal –
in thrall now to a strange instinct,
weaving silk around its guests
and fighting off any intruders
that like their food to come cocooned.
This caterpillar will grow no wings,
starving itself to a martyr’s death,
as hardened silk cracks open.
About the Author
Trevor Conway writes mainly poems, stories and songs. Subjects he typically writes about include nature, sport, society, creativity and interesting moments. His first collection of poems, Evidence of Freewheeling, was published by Salmon Poetry in 2015; his second, Breeding Monsters, followed in 2018, then No Small Thing in 2023. He also published a children’s guide for writing poetry, Nurturing the Creative Child: A Guide to Writing Poetry.
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