you appear in a dream   a woman  looking afraid  

I feel kindly toward you   want to help   

tiny green pods cover your garments  

you stand motionless on the sidewalk 

I offer you my home to shake off

the oval clumps that cling to you

you accept though we are apparent strangers

inside the house I begin to wonder if the dots

of green are mold spores   will proliferate

infect my lungs   crush my heart  

have I invited danger into my home?

or perhaps they are the larvae of a tiger

swallowtail   huddling together 

unaware of what lies ahead

and when the darkness comes

they will abide the waiting

guided by instinct 

my home to be

filled with fluttering

amber and black wings

lifting off   enamored with flight