Monarchs We Know – a Photo of the Day poem

Monarch butterfly sighted in my backyard during a summer BBQ. Photo: Rod MacIvor, Ottawa

Along with this outstanding photo, Rod shared the following poem by his friend P. Hodges to accompany it.

Monarchs We Know

Butterfly
Beauty in
Every language,
Singing us through this day.
Sky,
Lit with colour that we saw
On a grandmother’s
Small tea cup,
Or in photos displayed on a
Radio that her mother
Had dusted before her.
Flashes of
Unanticipated joy,
Flutter by.
Alluring memories
Bring us to
Moments already passed,
In no time.
We are dared to
Take flight with them,
Finding light above,
Finding light below.
Some of us
Watch from
Chosen spots on ground,
Where shade is happiness,
When quietness enlightens our way.
All is well,
Even though we
Can’t explain our love,
Even though we
Can’t define our love.
Even though, we
Are
Love.
We float with
Hummingbird elusiveness,
And need the breeze of grace
To catch us up to our sacred selves.
Refreshing souls
In a caring
Circle of friends,
Gathering stories,
Weaving strengths of all colours.
Whatever heights
We reach,
However we get there…
Walking through
Hot clouds of
Heavenly atmosphere,
Or laying way down,
Wrapped safely in stars and
Firefly hope;
We have wings, that
We can dare to use.

– P. Hodges, 2018, used with permission, all rights reserved