Ladybug

 

The Ladybug scared my young cousin.

He screamed when he saw it and jumped back.

I told him to calm down and that it was okay

as it was only a ladybug.

 

He wanted to know what

the ladybug would eat.

I explained they don’t eat people or little children,

just plants and leaves.

 

I said ladybugs are pretty nice

as bugs go. They don’t mean us any

harm and just want to go about

their ladybug business.

 

We peered in closer as the ladybug

crawled along the edge of the outdoor

mat, just outside the back door.

The ladybug, oblivious to us watching.

 

My young cousin was no longer

nervous of the ladybug as I again

explained that they didn’t mean us

any harm at all.

 

He wanted to go back inside anyway.

I opened the back door and let him in.

The ladybug, never the wiser of our

whole conversation.

 

The rest of the day, I thought about

what I was afraid of, what made me

jump back with a fearful shout and

whether those fears would eat me.

 

Or rather; what my fears do eat.