A pair of butterflies twitters
their dancetag of visual delight,
sampling lilies and cornflowers,
frolicking in the sunlight.

Suddenly one is eclipsed
by a prison made of glass,
a Mason jar overturned
to surround and encompass.

The lonely flight of a sole mate,
his ascent into freedom’s ether,
no longer in charming duo
is the dart of a lost lover.

A butterfly caught under cover
tramples the ground for a break
with hovers and quivery putters
at a fluttery, fleeting escape.

Waving her wings forlornly
while imprisoned under glass,
or stamping her feet adorably,
a butterfly hasn’t a chance.

first published in Ostentatious Mind

©1997 Bonnie Manion