Bombyx Mori

Mulberry limbs laden with larvae.

Orgiastic gorging, gluttonous grubs

fit to burst, split their skins, lolling

languorous; aerialists spun snug in silks.

A crooked cocoon hints at a pair, enshrined

forever entwined. Survivors unwind,

wet-winged and fixed on preservation,

their expiration pending procreation.

Curiosity led Si-Ling-Chi to prise apart

a stillborn husk, stretch its threads

in her hands, weave whispered slips

to graze the limbs of kings and courtesans.