I see so few dragonflies these days, but 
I did see one today. Just now, in fact.

It perched on the screen of the laptop 
perched on my lap. I’m perched myself

on my porch, and I wrote this very line
as soon as it flew off. But until it did, 

I stared, amazed at and by its delicacy,
its grace, and ancientness, too, knowing

they’ve been around longer than dinosaurs.
I’ve seen their filigrees fossilized in mud!

Nevertheless, there we were just a second
ago, together across the ages, at the end-

stage. It’s likely now to hit a windshield,
to leave just a smeared, fleeting trace.