MIRROR POEMS
-- Soliloquy of a Caterpillar --
John Herlihy
I have a beauty in my own right,
An inner beauty hidden from sight.
Still, with multiple legs, I plod along,
The day as tedious as my body long.
No one takes notice of my funny tail,
As I wonder meadows of hill and dale.
Children in their excitement pass me by,
They have no true interest in this little guy.
Long as it takes, I get where I want to go,
I have a duty to perform that only I know.
A subtle change within that is a mystery,
Transformation of soul a thing of beauty.
I lay down to sleep, wishing to be a fly,
But awaken into the glory of a butterfly.
-- Soliloquy of a Butterfly --
John Herlihy
I have a beauty in me not my own right,
This outer beauty created in another’s sight.
Mirrored wings gently flutter to lift me aloft,
Their beauty incomparable, tender and soft.
I ride on the roving wind as light as a feather,
My beauty enhanced in any kind of weather.
Excited children chase me their hearts aflutter,
Mature adults stand in wonder and only mutter.
In absolute freedom, I fly wherever I want to go,
I enjoy a lightness of being that only I can know.
My life as a caterpillar remains a thing of mystery,
How can a plodding worm turn into a thing of beauty.
I must have fallen asleep one night wishing to be a fly,
Only to awaken in the morning as a glorious butterfly.
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Copyright ©John Herlihy
Saturday 31 July 2021
As a child I recall collecting, or at least admiring, the rather large, yellow and green striped caterpillars of the Monarch butterfly. Also recall whacking the tops off of milkweed so we could see the white sap oozing out. Remembering that it was bitter to the taste. Not like milk at all, but the secret weapon of the Monarch.
Ron