Monarch
Nature Poetry
You wonder how you ended up here.
With this impossible creature-
This bruised insect
In this fading garden.
Her shadow is a scallop.
One wing torn off, she flies dizzily in the same circle,
Year after year.
Sometimes she’s tired, and wants to let the snake take her,
So she rests in the dirt waiting.
Other times, she feels strong again, so she beats her wing enough to rise
To the flower in the sun, to feed on the nectar,
To brighten the spring with her fantastic colors.
She flutters to your hand,
She settles on your palm.
You hold her gently, to prevent her fall to the ground
Yet carefully, that you don’t crush her in the attempt.
She rises.
She falls.
Your eyes strain to follow her tortuous path.
You wonder how you ended up here.
With this impossible creature-
This bruised insect.
In this fading garden.
more by VK LYNNE
photograph by Amarpreet Kaur
