How could I have known

As the dragonflies descended

Swirling in the summer sky

What was to come

I watched in wonder

Entranced at the number of

This spectacular swarm of dragonflies

Myths point to them as a symbol of luck

Or of loved ones reaching out from beyond

But I only learned of these legends

After

After the phone calls, the cross country flights

After the funerals and long sleepless nights

After the heartache, the tears never ending

Only in the after did I understand the beginning

Sun blazing on summer afternoons

Dragonflies dancing all over

I, awestruck and contented, was

Lulled into bliss and oblivious of

The meaning behind their arrival

Fine-winged fortune tellers

Their beauty betrayed their depth as

Harbingers of the dark winter to follow

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