Forever Beautiful
By John Herlihy

The butterfly alights upon the primrose only a moment;
The flower bows to the guest ready to offer a bestowment.
Hesitant, tentative, the skittish butterfly flutters its wings,
Oversized wings really whose bounteous beauty virtually sings.
The ugly little insect seems dressed in veils of magical wonder;
The elegant wings fly aloft, all the garden’s flowers to plunder.
But there it clings to the individual pinkish cups of the flower;
The exquisite one has chosen this flower of all in the bower.

The scene of mutual embrace comes alive as a study in motion;
The flower bends to offer its golden nectar as a magical potion.
The butterfly draws gently the blessed honey with delicate sips,
Returning to favorite blossoms with a constancy that never slips.
As I say, the butterfly and the flower meet only for a moment,
A moment in time, forever beautiful, in its regal enthronement.
Still, the moment lives throughout time never to fade or go sour,
In tribute to this unique relationship between butterfly and flower.