A small, silken nest
strung up in the hawthorn tree branch
he cut and carried to his bedroom.

A nest of squirms:
freshly hatched tent caterpillars
bristle with blaze of red hairs.

Mounts the branch on his window
so he can watch how they explore:
thread a white trail up the glass

for the others to follow.
He breaks a trail to see them
return down the same line,

until one bridges the gap
and the others follow.
Soon white threads cover

ceilings, walls, furniture. Exploratory
Expeditions. He delights
in fingerswipes across their routes.

Controls their maps