Butterflies

“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” — Nathaniel Hawthorne

These little creatures intrigue me,

so delicate but also mighty,

wings beating against wind

so quickly. They dance

when they encounter another

one of their species, circling, 

spiraling, fluttering round

and round, as if they’ve just 

endured a long separation. 

They share many air kisses

before they alight on a bloom

or tree limb. When I move 

toward one to get a closer look 

or dare to capture a picture, 

my shadow falls like a warning 

and they fly away, but if I sit still

among the flowers, they will visit

and share a square of nature

with me, and I delight

in that intimacy.

‘Just living is not enough,’ said the butterfly, ‘one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.’

— Hans Christian Anderson

—C.L. Fisher, July 2020

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