Moonda Ortiz

Imago Moonda Ortiz

As a young child, especially when I lived in rural West Virginia, I felt steeped in the natural world and very much a part of it. I was fascinated with insects and the dramatic changes they undergo during metamorphosis. One meaning of Imago is the adult stage of insect life. When I noticed that many of my poems referenced insects,
metamorphosis seemed like a fitting format.

The egg, larva, and pupa bear little resemblance to the creature an insect becomes--and thus are, in a sense, illusory selves. In a similar way, I believe human beings are always longing to discover the truest self. Our lives unfold in ever maturing stages of relationship as we contemplate and experience ourselves, parents, communities, life, the cosmos, and however we define spirit. The process can be strange and messy. These poems are my attempt to share some of these personal yet universal experiences.