Blinded Sphinx Moth Caterpillar,
Paonia excaecata
One day I will fly by night,
hornworm turned
hummingbird.
Believe it. But
I was never blind—
you got that wrong.
No one put out my eyes.
I’ve twelve of them. All
I need to see is light and how
it changes. Horned though
I am, I’m innocent
as a unicorn. Soft. Green.
Voracious. Five, six
times I’ll eat enough
to split my skin and crawl
out larger, hungrier.
Be fooled. Be fearful
of me, take my fierce-
looking rear for front.
I am insatiable because
one day I’ll have
no mouth at all.