Faith
a fragile butterfly sometimes blown off course by a terrible wind
sometimes found with broken wings... or just dead... frozen corpse
stiff and still his eyes dull he flies no more
i wonder what happened to him no clues left at the scene
he simply flies no more i remember anni dillard's story of the butterfly
that emerged in the mason jar in her classroom when she was a child
the jar too small his wings could not spread the lacquer set
bent and deformed... at the end of the school day they released him
to walk away... he never flew... what happened to that butterfly...
perhaps... later found dead no clues at the scene no answer to shed
yet he remains in my memory like the movie groundhog day each time
i see him from behind... his wings bent and deformed... walking away
when faith is found dead no clues at the scene a frozen corpse
stiff and still his eyes dull a fragile butterfly
February 1, 2017
9 comments:
This is such a good description of faith, which needs room to spread its wings. The image of the butterfly in a jar will stay with me. Poor thing. Great lines: "when faith is found dead / no clues at the scene".
I wonder what killed his faith. The wind or the broken wing?
Blew me away. Many of us never get to rehab those bent wings, those possibilities we were born to carry. Many never get out of the jar. Sad memory, poignant image that I now carry. I definitely like having wings I can spread.
When faith is found dead - I too will not forget the image of the butterfly walking. I hope I am never that butterfly. Good write.
Ah, we must take great care of our fragile wings, lest we, too, are left to only walk away. Touching words.
Such a fitting image--and poignant write--this was really lovely
That poor butterfly that I too will now never forget.
the butterfly image is so apt...
This pulls directly at the heartstrings... sigh..
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