Put your finger
along there
Jane said
gently
and she opened
her hands
to form
a kind of cup
and there
was the butterfly
yellowish with white
it opened and closed
its wings
feel the smoothness
she said
I focused
on her palms
the skin
thinking how lucky
the butterfly was
to land there
I gently touched
its wings
with my finger
gently so as not
to make it
fly off
she was intense
gazing at my finger
the wings opening
and closing
my finger
was a mere
breath away
from touching
her skin
the warmth
of her palms
I leaned in closer
could smell
apples or fresh air
and her dark eyes
turned on me
and I looked back
at the butterfly
and stroked its
wings again
it flapped
and flew off
and I watched it
go passed
her dark hair
her eyes following it
in the air
and I followed
her hair
the dark and straight
the opened necked blouse
the green skirt
isn't it beautiful?
she said
yes very much so
I said
gazing at
the line of her neck
the area
where her hair
and collar
didn't meet
the jawline
and she
was looking up
at the sky
where the butterfly
flittered amongst
nearby flowers
at the foot
of the Downs
so gentle their wings
she said
she imitated
a butterfly
with her hands
the thumbs
hooked together
flapping her hands
out and in
and looked at them
then at me
should I stroke
the wings?
I said
she smiled
flapping
her hands slowly
so I did
stroking slowly
and gently
the outer line
of palm
with my finger
and she gazed at me
then at my finger
her small tongue
at the corner
of her mouth
beyond her
the butterfly
flittered off
the white and yellow
exchanging
as it went away
my finger
moving up and down
then slowly
moving
like the butterfly
a little bit away.