Clad in a base coat of drab olive;
camoflaged against bark and leaf;
betrayed only by stripes -
yellow, brown and blue
slashes of intrigue.

A confident stance, followed
by a flash of underbelly,
colours of anxiety rippling
across your surface
as you sit and watch me.
Peering into ultraviolet
for subconscious insight.

I skitter closer,
displaying a perpetual slideshow
of new tints, watching for variations
on a theme I can trust.

Flashes of a flickering, feinting
tongue try my resolve,
testing my skin, tasting
the elements of my composition.

Closer and closer I come.
Soon we will stand, eye-to-eye,
unblinking
and wait
to see what comes of this.