two viewings of a butterfly

too far off
beauty gliding
butterflies I try to catch
like the contrails of a 
lovely dream
spinning in circles with
a net made from
a clementine bag
my fingers reaching in 
to snare it gently
its wings beating slowly against 
my palm
like a breath 
I pull my magnifying glass
from my pocket
and hover with wide eyes
over the butterfly
but...
its wings are rough
and so fragile they make
me anxious
and its body is packed out
with heavy anatomy
and its eyes gloss
like sour blackberries
I suddenly don't want this
thing
on my hand
why did I have to look?
it was so beautiful on the wind
now it has morphed again
into what I fear
horror crawling
too close
 

AvaClaire

VT

19 years old

More by AvaClaire

  • Poetry dump

    Every time I jump the world spins once

    And I land in the same spot

    My dog looks like a gremlin when he’s sleeping

    It’s midnight and I wonder if my salt lamp is really salt

    Ick yep it is
  • Chat GPT Poem

    This poem is not Chat GPT
    I promise to convince you that
    and I will attempt to convey
    the human
    sitting and picking the words
    from cobweb corners where
    computers can't find them.
    there is a beating heart here

  • why playlists are tsunamis

    five songs
    last me a month
    a single playlist
    i listen to 
    over and over and over 
    chewing it like a piece of gum
    until it has gone 
    dull and flavorless
    and I spit it out
    but
    when i rediscover