The Dragon(fly)

The dragonfly

Spends its first 2-3 years 

   Underwater 

As a predator 

   Before it chases the sun

And makes a daring climb out of the water

    Before undergoing an incredible transformation 

From an underwater insect 

   To a dragon(fly)

Its exoskeleton cracks open and releases its abdomen, 

   which had been packed in like a telescope

    Its four wings come out and the body dries and hardens over the next several hours.

      As the sun hits it directly for the first time in its existence, it changes into something new

And all within three hours of climbing out of the water 

  But wait

   There’s more to this dragon(fly) than meets the eye

So much more

    Somehow

After transforming from an underwater predator 

    To a miniature dragon

It becomes to most accurate ariel predator we’ve ever studied 

    With a hunting accuracy around 97%

Four special muscles form in it’s back

   Giving it astonishing control over its wings 

Making it the best flyer we’ve ever seen

   They say that it predicts where it’s prey will be, almost as if it can see into the future . . .

    It doesn’t make any damn sense to me. 

From an underwater insect

   Never even knowing the world above water even existed

To a dragon(fly)

   Who dominates the skies

All because it climbs up to the sun

   And in three hours

Changes entirely 

  With a new reaction time of 50 milliseconds

And eyes that can interpret its environment at a rate of 300 flashes per second 

   And if you ever watch a time-lapse of a dragon(fly) transformation 

Prepare to have your mind blown

    That shit looks like an alien emerging out of a tiny water bug

My jaw dropped as I watched it

   And kept dropping

   The more I learned of this insane insect

 The more in awe I was of it

There’s some cheesy metaphor or simile to be made about how we can go through a similar transformation if we are bold enough to face our fears and leave our comfort zone, but I don’t feel that corny today.

 I just want to admire the dragon(fly) without making it about us. 

And to imagine it as the closest thing to a real dragon that I'll ever see.

-CH 7/2/25