Taste Me and You Die

In the natural world, yellow and black together mean danger. I’m striped like a bumblebee for the Halloween party when this Freddy Krueger won’t take my brushoffs. He thinks I’m being coy. He thinks he’s the predator and I’m the prey. But I’m not a bumblebee. I’m a cinnabar caterpillar. The larvae absorb alkaloids and become toxic. But some are foolish enough to ignore the signs for their own pleasure, only to die with a belly full of caterpillar. Despite no encouraging signals, he moves closer to kiss me. I wonder if he can smell the poison on my breath.

Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk