Aquatic bladderwortfilamentous are we, swimming in bog or peat seepageminute prey for us here, we sophisticatesof watery palate revert to our smallest selvesto survive parturition              no, desiccation                  sometimeswe travel along a flight path, but often we waitwith our trapdoor of air            of negative pressureSundewinsect touch peripheral hairs to leaf laminasticky glands investigate chitin to dissolvedigest insect first attracted to shine and sweetnessso much like nectar but notknowing not to struggle against triggered inflexionthe plant can only close aroundits food____Ivy Alvarez is the author of two poetry collections: Disturbance (Seren Books, 2013) and Mortal (Red Morning Press, 2006). Her work appears in journals and anthologies in many countries, with several poems translated into Russian, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. She moved to New Zealand in 2014. www.ivyalvarez.com