Ode to My Iridescence

Marcie Flinchum Atkins

The shimmer on my beetle-back kaleidoscopes 
with the light—hides me in sun-sprinkled leaves. 

Birds seeking to snack on me bob-sway—
hesitate, confused. My jeweled coat warns them: 

I’m an unpredictable prism 
shape-shifting in the sun-dappled tree. 

My iridescent coat glimmers on the sun-soaked limb 
and I remain. 

The Science

Iridescence is the changing of color based on the angle from which its viewed. It can be rainbow, shimmery, flashy, and changing. For beetles, like the green jewel beetle, their green iridescence can function as camouflage among the trees. But if birds spot them, the unexpected glare of the iridescent exoskeleton can confuse birds, and perhaps save the beetle from being eaten.

The Poet

Marcie Flinchum Atkins is a teacher-librarian by day and a children’s book writer in the wee hours of the morning. She holds an M.A. and M.F.A. in Children’s Literature from Hollins University. She’s the author of numerous nonfiction books including Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature (Millbrook Press, 2019). Her poetry has been featured in several anthologies for adults and children. Her debut historical fiction verse novel, One Step Forward is forthcoming in 2025 (Versify). Her next nonfiction picture book When Twilight Comes will be published in 2026 (Chronicle). For more information, check out her website: www.marcieatkins.com .

Next poem: Othered / Othering by Finola Scott