Walking just walking along
gingerly and slowly swaying
waltzing alien-like from leaf to leaf
Stalking just stalking along
stick-like & Oh so lean
happily wondering whom next i can eat
Suddenly out of nowhere
a huge ominous creature appears
thrusting a blackish lens-thing right up to me
In a flash, I quickly leap away
and am so very glad
that the huge hideous creature didn’t eat me
[Note: This photo was taken about a month ago. This was the first Praying Mantis that i’ve seen this summer; it was young, just around 3cm long. And, yes — with blackish lens-thing macro camera in hand — i am the ominous, hideous creature. (You must admit, we ominous, hideous creatures are pretty huge.)]
Young Praying Mantis (praying that I don’t eat him) … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2019
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 
Love it! Words and photo made me smile.
Mission accomplished, CC! 🙂
Thank goodness the mantis escaped the monster!
Yes! But that monster did capture him in a small way. 🙂
Yes!
Great shot.
Thanks much, 67, which is my age. 🙂
Huge being relative … reading this I feel tension at the thought of a big black mass larger than me suddenly hovering in my intended path … glad you got this shot before the mantis fled! And this cool poem afterward!
Thank you, Jazz. 🙂 Yes, from their dimension of small, our dimension of huge must seem very intimidating. No T-rexes around these days, thank goodness! 🙂
When death is so near yet, you managed to escape. “Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides” Lao Tzu. Great post! Once again.
Thank you, Marie! Yes, one eternal thread! 🙂 It’s a good thing for the mantis that the huge camera-holder is a vegetarian.
You’re welcome😊
These are some rather mysterious and methodical critters! 😀
Yes, Kym, they are very mysterious, very alien-like, and different. Years ago, i had one for a pet. She laid fertile eggs without a male and i put them in the garden. Without a male, females lay eggs that are exact clones of themselves. 🙂
Now that’s a fun fact! 🙂
They look like monks with their hands folded under long sleeves.
Yes! Probably how they got their name. 🙂
Nice photo and verse!
Thank you, Belinda! 🙂
There are definitely fewer mantids around than in many years ago.
I’ve seen very few of these, but I suspect if I spent more time in wooded or brushy areas I’d see more. I came across a quite large one a few years ago, and it took me a while to figure out what it was. We eyed each other pretty cautiously, and then went our separate ways. In those days, no capture of any sort was possible–I didn’t even own a camera!
They were way more common in years past, Linda. I used to pick them up and handle them and most would quickly learn to love walking from one of my hands to another in succession. They would even crawl back on your hand after lowering your hand to the ground. A minority, though, would not have anything to do with it and would bite and bite; i called them “broncos.” 🙂 Also see what was written to Kym above.
I like the poem , and the mantis photo, too!
Thanks, Jane. I’ll tell the mantis the next time we meet. 🙂
My son had one as a pet years ago. They are cool creatures!
Yes, Siobhan! 🙂 Please read what i wrote to Kym above (& shoreacres). 🙂
I love your alien, and your humour Tom. 🙂
Thank you, Paul! 🙂
Welcome 🙂
I’ve never seen a praying mantis before Tom, so I am grateful for your macro pictures to get an up-close-and-personal look at them; imagine how big and scary we must look to little bugs.
Love this. I just had a great experience with a pregnant praying mantis https://noelliesplace.com/2019/09/18/pregnant-praying-mantis/