To Venus and Back: Lure of the Flytrap

By Visitor Services at July 20, 2010 | 11:00 am | Print

Over the weekend, NCM’s very own Kara Hayes performed her original poem titled To Venus and Back: Lure of the Flytrap…

To Venus and Back: Lure of the Flytrap

Shh! Be very, very quiet;
Do not make a sound.
For a strange creature called Venus
Heaves and hovers above the ground.
Listen to her hum.
Hear her growl and snore;
See how her head looms and droops-
She’s hollow right to the core.
Hush, she moves.
Quiet, she stirs.
She is growing restless;
Hear how she purrs.

Wondering whispers surface the crowd.
As they guess her identity aloud.

Chorus:
Is she a sea horse or a monster of the sea?
A dinosaur or a glass figurine?
A giant worm or a chandelier?
A polar bear or a queen to revere?
A periscope or a hydra genus?
Or a telescope to marvel at Venus?
What in the world could she possibly be?
Neither goddess nor planet,
She is a mystery.

Wait, methinks she lifts her heavy head.
As she opens her lips, yawning, she says:

Venus:
Who disturbs my scintillating slumber?
Who, in jest, intercepts my beauty rest?
Who would dare wake me from my cocoon?
Do you take me for some ballooned buffoon?
Don’t worry, my darlings, you will know my identity soon…

My white petals breathe in the wind.
My neck is long and lean and thin.
Absorb my hourglass physique.
Take your photos, and make your critiques.

Don’t be shy.
Don’t be so meek.
I am harmful
Only to those who are weak.
For I am a carnivore,
Craving crunchy critters,
Starving for more.
From up here, you all look so small-
A bite-size snack
Who can barely crawl.

Come closer if you dare.
Don’t just gawk and stare.
Little insects, I have you under my spell.
You are becoming very sleepy…
And my thirst is deepening.
Another step forward will make things right.
Yes…good. Banish your fright,
And spare you, I just might.

Trick or treat?
Almost there, my sweets.
Another inch
Should be a cinch.
Don’t retract;
Don’t step back.
Don’t be crude;
This plant needs food.
Tap tap.
I’m ready for my nap.
And with just one snap,
I’ll catch you in my trap.

— Kara Hayes, Museum Guide

Animal Art, At the Museum, Events jason hackenwerth, kara hayes, lure of the flytrap, venus