Author Information
Butterflies
Folder:
Unpublished pieces
the lights dim
alone he sits at his table
composing memories
in his brain
for butterflies
of the daylight
which he caught
in a jar as a boy
why did he do this?
was it the beauty
of the insect
that so drew him
to want to hold
them forever
in his world?
or
was it the patterns
of their wings
which gave him
such delight?
fluttering
in the garden
he would watch
them for
hours at
a time
those that
he selected
to keep
he would
eventually
kill by
driving a
pin through
their bodies.
why did he do this?
as a man
he wasn't sure
at the ethical
issue of
murdering
the butterflies
but then
again there
were so many
issues
he wasn't sure about.
yawning
he reached
across the
table for his
notebook
there were
so many
more butterflies
left to kill
Thank you for this poem
Thank you for this poem Chris. I never did collect butterflys ( up close they're pretty creepy) but I knew boys that did and it did seem a cruel act.
as a child i understand this,
as a child i understand this, as a man i feel it. nice