Just as a butterfly goes through a life cycle known as complete metamorphosis with stages including egg, larva, pupa, and adult, so is the poem you are about to read.

You see, last week, I had the honor of attending a poetry workshop at Hewnoaks Artist Colony co-sponsored by the Greater Lovell Land Trust and Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library. After listening to poet Judith Steinbergh share her poetry and the works of others, and listening to her talk about form as she laid eggs in our minds, we were sent off for a half hour to write our own nature-inspired poem. It was raining lightly at that time and my larva stage was a celebration of the rain that made the aspen quiver with joyous sighs and the lichens transform like a chameleon. When the group came back together and we read our first attempts to each other, I ended by mentioning that I wanted to somehow work the Clouded Sulphur, a small yellow butterfly, into my great work. And then, over the course of the past week, the larva began to mature, to pupate as I wrote draft after draft and suddenly the poem was only about the Clouded Sulphur. Yet, the language wasn’t quite working and though I sent a copy to Judy, and she responded with the most encouraging comments, and then I sent another draft, and again she was encouraging, I told her that I didn’t intend to read my draft at the evening celebration of poetry. The celebration was planned for last night.

As I often do in the summer, I awoke at 5:30 yesterday morning, brewed a pot of coffee, sat in the rocking chair on the porch and realized I was ready to write about the butterfly in an entirely different form. The words flowed forth and what you read is maybe not the adult, or even a teenager, but perhaps a ‘tween and I know my habit of revising constantly so perhaps one day this poem will reach full adulthood.

But for now, after such a long explanation, here is what I wrote and was actually brave enough to read last night:

Dear Clouded Sulphur,

As I walk
along the gravel road,
I suddenly realize
I am not alone.
Oh,
there are bees and birds
and dragonflies and grasshoppers
to admire,
but you capture
my full attention.

I notice first
your buttery yellow wings
tinged with a hint of lime,
and margined
ever so slightly
in a subtle pink.
And then I see
your bright green eyes
that remind me of my own
when I spot a buffet and don’t know
which delectable choice
to first taste.

So it seems
you are the same
as you dance
over the meadow flowers,
your wings flitting
up and down, up and down,
before you suck nectar
from one clover
and then another.

That’s when I notice
the thick black border
upon the topside
of your wings.
Why do you hide it,
only allowing glimpses
in a quick
flash of flight?
Perhaps you feel
it will draw
too much attention?
If that’s the case,
I understand,
for as it is,
I see only
you at first.
And then a sibling. Or is it a cousin?
The relationship
doesn’t matter.
What matters is
that my eyes cue in
and I realize
I am encircled
by you
and all your kin.
In fact,
I no longer know
which one you are,
but that’s fine,
for it is
more important
that you’ve made
me notice.

What I thought
was one butterfly
becomes two
and then five,
and suddenly
seven of you
gather upon the road
where only moments
earlier
a few raindrops
slipped from the sky
and dampened the pebbles.
As I watch,
all of you pause,
then fly
at different moments
to a new spot
within the same small square,
and pause again,
dazzling me
with flashes
of your subtle palette,
I realize
you are puddling.

For the first time
I begin to understand
what “puddling”
actually means
as your extended
mouthparts probe.
The road that seems
so dirty and dusty
to my blue eyes,
your green eyes
recognize
as a source
of the nutrients
you seek.
And though there isn’t
an actual puddle,
mere raindrops
appear to provide
what you need.
But do they?
Are you able
to extract
enough minerals
to share
with your gal?
That’s beyond
my understanding,
but I continue
to watch
for as long as I can.
I wish I could stay all day,
so welcoming
have you been.
Alas, I must
pull myself away.
But before I do,
I want to say
thank you.
Thank you, C.S.,
for capturing
my attention
and allowing me
to observe
a few moments
of your butterfly life.
Thank you
for your minute presence
as you twirl and pivot
in this very place,
for your being here
indicates
a healthy environment.
Despite the lack of rain,
you find goodness
and in so doing,
share good news.

With that knowledge,
I take my leave
with a smile
upon my heart.

Sincerely,

Leigh