I murdered a caterpillar
I murdered a caterpillar
It was no easy decision to make
I thought long and hard
Turned it over
In my head
This way and that...
It might metamorphosise
Into a beautiful butterfly
They might be in short supply
An endangered species
Running low on habitat
Using my potted friends
As an outpost
Against extinction
It might be beautiful
Dance prettily in the air
Play catch and tag
With a mate
Look wonderful enough
To paint
But it was an ugly
Enormous caterpillar
Dull brown and leech-like
So different to the cabbage whites
That used to decimate my dad’s
Vegetable patch when I was a boy
They were green and yellow
With a splash of blue
We could collect them
Put them in a jam jar
On the windowsill
In the kitchen
Awaiting their transformation
Nothing yukky about it
Educational
Watching the leaves disappear
And the caterpillar grow
Marvelling at the cocoon
In the wild
They would hang
Behind the coal house door
In the shade
Protected from predators
And inquisitive
Little boys
But this one
A great big ugly thing
Was ruining my plants
Leaf by ravaged leaf
It had to go
So I murdered
The caterpillar
With a spray can
It didn’t put up much of a fight
Went straight down
Hit the ground and barely moved
I killed the damn thing
I murdered a caterpillar
It was a tough decision
And one I have to live with