I. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LADY AND ASIAN
An erasure of “What’s the Difference Between Ladybugs and Asian Lady Beetles?”
Although Lady and Asian
look similar
Lady don’t bite, they
never congregate
Asian
a true pest
gather in large groups
excrete a foul-smelling yellow
Yellow can stain walls
trigger Asian access points.
Asian naturally attracted to whites
Therefore, enter homes
through cracks. Once inside,
You might find them hiding
dispose of the Asian with soapy water.
You shouldn’t have to put up with Asian
clear out an Asian infestation
every time.
II. Self-Portrait as Asian Lady Beetle
Red orange
is my mother’s
favorite color
so my shell
shines poppy
more flame voracious
than lipstick pretty
A scientist named me
the aggressive version
of the ladybug
I argue
I am just practiced
in self defense
sink teeth
into human flesh
bleed the scent
of dry leaves
when provoked
I stain yellow,
a bitter taste,
wherever I go
Leave the eyes
of men
spilling flame
Find me feasting
on aphids & cousins
upon grape curtains
in cities of plump beans
I descended
from beetles
who survived
chemical plumes
7,000 miles of sky
of course,
to thrive,
I fight.
Jade Cho is a writer and educator from Oakland, CA. She is the author of In the Tongue of Ghosts (First Word Press, 2016) and a co-founder of Ghostlines Collective and The Root Slam. Her poems have appeared in BOAAT, Hot Metal Bridge, The Offing, and elsewhere. She holds a BA in Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley and is an MFA candidate in poetry at Arizona State University.