Monarch

Sometimes a Monarch butterfly soars into my day

and makes that moment the whole day. 

Petty hurts

I haven't been around for millions of years

My plans in life haven't gone off without a hitch

No billionaire has ever had such success

as the little orange-winged person dancing over my head. 

I like the idea of a chrysalis.

I only wish I had just to step into one once, curl inward and transform

and emerge a finished being with a single purpose.

Instead I transform again, and again, half-way, stopped

in the middle

muddy and confused

no singular purpose

lost in a search for answers.

because I used to have them

or thought I did

What I would be

the shape of my wings,

color of my chrysalis,

the search for a mate, pre-defined

Now I can't make orange

green, blue, black

all my talents wasting in strange fields

Sometimes a Monarch butterfly

flies overhead and stops all the noise in my head.

I'm not for anything

I'm just here, flying overhead

with anycolored wings 

October 2010