Monarchy

Winged Symphony

Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Michoacan (Mexico) | Photo by Noradoa

In early November,  
the air thickens with color,  
a dance of orange wings,  
a swirling tapestry against the sky—  
the monarchs arrive,  
their migration a whisper of ancient lore,  
a song of remembrance  
for those who once walked this earth.

They flutter in glimmering clouds,  
carrying with them the weight of belief,  
the thought that each delicate body,  
each fragile flight,  
is a soul returning,  
a fleeting visit from the other side,  
where the veil thins and dreams converge.

We lean toward logic,  
insisting on the mapped paths,  
the compass of instinct,  
the pull of the sun,  
but can’t we embrace the wonder?  
The billions of wings  
dancing in unison,  
following a rhythm  
etched in the marrow of time,  
a cosmic ballet,  
a connection between worlds.

What if reality is woven with magic,  
the tangible brushed with the ethereal?  
What if the science—  
the charts and graphs—  
is just another way to trace the sacred,  
to honor the journey?  
In the fluttering of those wings,  
there lies a spirituality,  
a profound understanding; 
that life and death are but notes in a symphony,  
that every migration tells a story,  
each arrival a promise; 
that we are never truly alone,  
that the past is woven  
into the very fabric of our skies.

Author’s Note

• Mexico becomes a temporary home for countless monarch butterflies, which brighten the sky annually with their orange wings.

  Their migration coincides with the Dia de Los Muertos festival on November 1 and 2.

  This led to an ancient belief that these butterflies represent the spirits of deceased ancestors revisiting the living.

• My new book of poetry and prose, The Edges, is now available in digital and paperback formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo.

Upcoming…

• A prose poem about change:

  Decay and Renewal, 9 November 2024

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