The Dragonfly
If I could, I would
be a fairy, not a bug.
You see, but I see more,
like colors never named,
and dreams left cold in shadow.
My sight encircles all my thoughts.
I see a thousand views.
What’s real and true,
what’s right, what’s wrong,
what’s living and what’s not.
If I could, I would take flight,
hover near your hand
and land upon your finger.
Tell you—LOOK, my wings,
paper thin,
and etched with light,
once lived inside the dark.
Tell you—LOOK, your wings
like mine,
only need some light and time
to launch and lift your spark.
Perhaps I can—
so you can too.
That’s what fairies do.
be a fairy, not a bug.
You see, but I see more,
like colors never named,
and dreams left cold in shadow.
My sight encircles all my thoughts.
I see a thousand views.
What’s real and true,
what’s right, what’s wrong,
what’s living and what’s not.
If I could, I would take flight,
hover near your hand
and land upon your finger.
Tell you—LOOK, my wings,
paper thin,
and etched with light,
once lived inside the dark.
Tell you—LOOK, your wings
like mine,
only need some light and time
to launch and lift your spark.
Perhaps I can—
so you can too.
That’s what fairies do.
FACT:
Dragonflies can see in all directions at the same time. Their eyes are made of thousands of facets with thousands of views. They see a large range of colors outside human vision. Their eyes surround their head. Dragonflies can fly like helicopters, stop on a dime and hover, because they have four independent wings. These wings, covered in sensors, can detect and refract sunlight.
This poem is copyright (©) Diane Lee Sammet 2025

About the Writer
Diane Lee Sammet
Diane Lee Sammet was a finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards (2024), and she has been accepted for the 2025 Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshop. Diane was the first-place winner of the Writers Helping Writers Fight Club Story contest (2022) and has been published in Academy of the Heart and Mind, AppleSeeds Magazine, Loch Raven Review, Perceptions Magazine, and The Phoenix. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, she holds two master’s degrees from Columbia University and the University of Hartford. You can learn more at dianeleesammet.com.