Butterfly Prayer

Thank you, Butterfly...

For your butterfly wings sustained near the river,
For the drifting wind looming a song in your heart.
For the rhythm of wings pumping life to my veins,
For the veins of a goddess self-contained and explosive.

Thank You, Butterfly...

For your explosive dreams I embrace each morning,
The evenings of pain before your nectar enfolds me,
And the pain you have caught and shaped into joy
Through the bridges and highways of Oklahoma County,
Through my veiled smiles for this American Beauty,
Through fossilized flowers that blend with your dresses,
Through a memento of hope that dies with silence.

Thank You, Butterfly...

For the chocolate antennas that glisten in sunshine,
Your floating curves that ascend above water
For my watching gaze at the bottom of the river.
To the river's caves that I leave for the surface,
The surface dreams of butterfly dances,
The dancing waves of your distant caresses.

Thank You, Butterfly...

For the sun again, the earth, and the grasslands,
For your straining wings that drift to the desert,
As my binocular eyes follow your journey.
To the voices and rhythms of absolute loneliness,
That drive your mosaics closer to freedom
That keep my spirit yearning for safety,

For the stillness of water I refuse to envelop,
For sunlight hoisting my soul above water,
To the Eagle Vishnu hovering above us,
As your butterfly wings hide from the eagle,
As my awakened body escapes to the flowers,
As the eagle descending attempts to claw me.

To the panting of living as I fall into daisies,
The flowers and weeds that hide me from dying,
To dying words I refuse to embrace,
To the embrace of your flapping, your lasting grace.

--Jinglett