glittering insects

Date: 7/24/2023

In a tea garden with my roommates. They were quietly chatting amongst themselves while I explored the blossoms and blooms. They were all wearing cute dresses but I was just wearing my usual jeans and blue jacket. A willow tree shaded us from the sun, and the teahouse loomed over us. It was white with pink and yellow trim. The picnic table was bare save for a few scattered pieces of china. The porcelain cups were empty. A line of ants marched to claim the sugar cubes in the silver tray. As I stood by the tree, taking in the sweet and cool breeze, a blueish dragonfly zipped around the table. It glinted in the sunlight as it made a dive for the ant line. A butterfly—also blueish—flitted gently down from the canopy and landed on my roommate’s head, resting like a bow atop her braid. It idly pumped its wings, warming them in the sunbeams. Blinking it’s false eyes at me. Blink. Wink. Chitter. Chatter. Glitter. Glint. Gone.