Butterfly

Butterfly

by Kelp

The smallest of children understands,
She doesn’t need the words.
She knows.

Before she tries to describe it,
She knows what it is,
Before she has a word for it,
She knows.

The creature works with flowers,
And is dressed appropriately.
The creature dances and dangles in mid-air.
She knows.

The child wants to touch it,
To feel it alive in her hands.
She holds it in her hands for an astonishing instant,
But the colored scales rub off like powder,
And she knows she has done something wrong.
She knows.

She will not easily forget this feeling.
No.

From that moment onward, she will know
That these creatures have their own place.
That place with no walls, no doors,
No ceilings, no floors.