Damsel

ELECTRIC blue damsels

fly and pry

around a studio door

flickering dozens

buzz, land -

fragile vibrating wings

holding their chosen sensory spot of delight

venturing to the studio doorframe

they shun its dank coolness

for shimmering sunbeams

and dew-speckled grass

only intrepid humans

can truly savour the studio delights

soft pencil-etched figures

curvaceous ladies,

diving kingfishers,

heads in conversation with each other

wooden panels display bright-splash colours

purples, orange, green ochre

chivvying each other for prime position

ignored by excited children

gawping amazedly at glitter, shells, snakeskins

multi-coloured paper

bobble-topped squeezy pens

two innocent worlds

existing in harmony across the nature divide

but look in the artists eye

and glimpse the blue damsels darting

there,

leading to her heart

Nikki Batten