Lady bug — Summary

Twigs are what I call them Wrapping me in embrace My cell grows flowers My cell grows fur Green flowers for me Green fur by the sea And almost everywhere am I blue Top to bottom I'll never wake up Coma but a light sleeper They call me mother And treat me like the dogs they Themselves Bark at.

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Read closely, the speaker seems to be lying in a kind of confined, suspended state, perhaps a hospital bed, though the poem never says so outright. The "cell" that grows flowers and fur could be a room, a body, or both, and the twigs "wrapping me in embrace" may be tangled branches, or something like tubes and wires. The word "coma" suggests the speaker is unconscious, yet calls themselves a "light sleeper," as if part of them still hears what happens nearby.

The mood is strange, quiet and a little sad, with a touch of dark humor. Green and blue colour the whole scene, and the speaker feels calm but cut off. The ending shifts the tone. Visitors call the speaker "mother" and treat them like the dogs they themselves bark at, which hints at being talked over or handled without respect. The title "Lady bug" adds a small, tender image, as if the speaker is something tiny and easily overlooked.

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