Fig Wasp
Isabella J. Mansfield
I
She is destroyed completely
in the process:
Either becoming trapped
inside the male
Which serves its purpose
only for her children
Or becoming trapped
inside the female
Dying wingless and alone
leaving only sweet fruit behind
II
She knows
It will
Destroy her
And yet
She is
Destroyed
Willingly
III
The female fig
(did you know they were gendered?)
produces an enzyme
that digests the wasp
completely
the fruit will not mature
until this is done
Sometimes beautiful things
are borne of self destruction
Isabella J Mansfield writes about the many faces of anxiety, body image, intimacy, and the human condition. She favors free-verse poetry over traditional poetry “rules,” but can sometimes be found writing the occasional tanka, senryu and haiku.
Her poems have been featured by Philosophical Idiot, The Wild Word, And So Yeah and Sad Girl Review, as well as in publications by Capsule Stories, PoetsIn, Augie’s Bookshelf and Rebel Mountain Press. She won the 2018 Mark Ritzenhein New Author Award, and Finishing Line Press published her Pushcart Prize nominated chapbook, The Hollows of Bone, in 2019. She lives in Howell, MI with her family. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @isabellajmansfield.