Chrysalis

My words hang,

pendants under this poem,

attached by a slender thread,

in their chrysalis container.

*

They begin this life barely a caterpillar

hatched from a tiny egg,

starving, creeping along in the wrong direction,

first gnawing on one leaf, then another

in the quest for the right taste,

the sound and smell to soothe our hearts,

rolling around on the tongue and in the ear,

rearranging, spitting out, swallowing

work and work and work

until attaining a balance of texture

that only the one right food will give.

*

The combination that will reach my heart,

that I can send to your heart,

that will smooth out the bumps,

the strange sections, sorrow for things past,

the things we couldn’t change,

for parts of us that yearn for change,

reducing the many legs of our minds,

and transform us into colorful flowers of the air.

Don’t you want to go there and be lifted when the wind beckons,

to flit among the fragrant bushes and trees,

and spread wings beneath the candied clouds at sunset?

*

Free to seek the path that leads us to the one bush or plant,

specific to our needs,

milkweed or flower on which our young can sustain themselves

and grow to mimic our flight and create their own.

*

The words break open the container

that has constricted them,

almost beyond the limit of endurance.

They climb purposefully and rest on the edge of the leaf,

spreading and folding their wings,

waiting for them to dry,

then suddenly flutter up bejeweled,

sparkling in the sunlight.

*

In a season of metamorphosis,

I wonder how long it takes for the caterpillar

to become a butterfly

and whether the vision is there,

in its mind from the beginning,

or if it realizes its path by pursuing it,

value without comparison,

life, altered forever, inside a small vessel.

***********

In the traditional Japanese calendar, used until the mid-1800s, Insects Awaken- keichitsu (啓蟄) is the third of six spring seasons. At its end, the Spring Equinox.

The third and final micro-season of keichitsu is:

March 16–20 Caterpillars Become Butterflies- namushi chō to naru (菜虫化蝶) This season has been difficult for me to find new ground to stand on. The subject contains a truism used extensively to illustrate transformation in stories and songs. I hope I have found that in the magical transition point between caterpillar and butterfly- the chrysalis.

To read more poems in this series, I invite you to follow the Micro-Season Poem Cycle list on my Medium profile page for past and future entries. The poems were originally posted in the publication Scribe, edited by Thomas Gaudex on Medium. They can be read there with a Medium subscription. Some are also listed here on Vocal Media, you can find more among my Vocal stories!

Thanks for reading! Natalie