That bug!
That bug armored in black,
beetling across the tv screen
then taking off like a little bomber.
That bug!
That bug!
Some call it a stink bug.
Don’t squash it, they say;
it will smell.
Some call it an assassin bug.
What does it assassinate?
I wonder as I duck.
That bug!
That bug armored in black,
now creeping up the wall.
I creep, too,
closer,
closer,
cup my hand,
swoop and scoop it up.
Am I now the assassin?
I feel its legs
tickling my palm.
This bug doesn’t bite or sting.
I feel sorry for it.
It’s lost in this living room,
which could become a dying room
for a bug deceived
by the light of a flat screen.
I step outside and fling it up
toward starlight.
Assassin or stink bug or blackish beetle,
it zips off into the night air,
and I hope it finds its way.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

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Text and photos © Karyn Henley 2026. All rights reserved.