Of Butterflies and Men

Snuggled in a cocoon             
a larva fell asleep
and knew not a thing
until her bed
became a prison.
She stretched
and snapped her bonds
She hadn't been there to stay.

                                                       

A butterfly opened her wings
to the ardor of the sun
She heard the call of the wind
and lifted her wings to soar
She hadn't come there to stay.


She delighted in dandelion
clover and lilac
She danced with her mate
with diving, swirling steps
then slipped away
to hide her eggs
Her life's work done
she departed her nest
She hadn't come there to stay

It was the evening
of her brief day
Her wings were scratched
and torn
Her youthful color fading

Weakened, she fell to earth   
Her helpless feet
pummeling the air.

Gently she grasped my finger
As I lifted her to the sun
her soft wings fluttered
and carried by wind
to a tree, she rested
and absorbed the sun.
Revived, she set sail
higher and higher
till I saw her no more.
She didn't come here to stay.


In the funeral home
an aging gentleman gazed at his lifelong friend and said, "We didn't come here to stay."