So I have decided to start publishing some of my poetry. I’m a techno dunce so it’s all a bit daunting, on top of the concern about baring the soul and inviting criticism. But maybe it’ll be good for me.

I feel that I need to start with an explanation of why I have called this blog Lesne’s Earwig

This may or may not be the first poem

This little creature has come to represent a vast array of meanings for me, over the past few weeks

It’s pronounced Lean by the way, to rhyme with mesne

I went on an insects course led by one of those wonderful obsessives with infectious enthusiasm: you know the type I mean

His name is Gary Farmer

Well until I went on that course I had no idea that there was more than one type of Earwig

The Common Earwig, Forficula auricularia, has always somewhat given me the creeps

But Gary explained that there are actually three types of Earwig

And one, the Lesne’s Earwig only appeared in Worcestershire in 1999

And only since at selected sites

Well to cut a long story short, two weeks later I found a Lesne’s Earwig, Forficula lesnei on my local nature reserve

And I felt such joy 

Why? It speaks to me of biodiversity

Of how dislike can become love, with understanding

Of something special hidden in familiar surroundings

It is, in fact, a kind of magic, this Lesne’s Earwig 

A week later, in my yoga class, the teacher suggested we express our practice as devotion to a specific person or higher spirit

And what came into my head was

Lesne’s Earwig

Who somehow evolved into both god and a kind of cartoon character

Like the cricket in Pinocchio but more humble, more British and more wise

The Earwig now follows me wherever I go

Representing madly all I believe in nature

And the truth of climate change

Remember the fact that Lesne’s Earwigs were first found here only 20 years ago?

The truth is, they’re marching north

And although first represented their true power just to me

May one day become our mighty overlords

Because my cartoon god does have a sense of humour

And being so very figurative it ought to be a poem

But this god is not melodic

Possibly hampered by a slightly awkward scientific name

(Unlike it’s cousin Forficula auricularia)

The Earwig lesnei seems somehow to prefer

To write itself in prose..

But consents to supervise