Flirtatious, lovely, on gossamer wings,

The butterfly flew into my dark room.

Flitting here and there, finding her bearings,

Perched on my quill-pen, dissolving my gloom.

The dull old mirror, hanging on the wall,

Lit up faintly with a luminous glare

And the image of a slender and tall

Beautiful woman appeared within there.

Awe-struck I watched as her image faded,

Whilst the butterfly in her own glow basked;

As the “Butterfly Effect” abated,

I turned to her and timidly I asked:

“Please tell me oh, little butterfly divine,

Am I in your dream, or are you in mine?”

© P. J. Oszmann (2009)

© Illustration created in Photoshop (2009)

Footnote: 

The term “Butterfly Effect” is related to the work of Edward Lorenz and is based in the “Chaos Theory”. In brief: the phrase refers to the idea that the beat of a butterfly’s wing might create tiny atmospheric changes that may ultimately alter the course of a tornado.

The term found its way into popular culture, where it refers – inaccurately – to time travel, implying that minor changes in past events could lead to major, even catastrophic outcome.

In the above fiction it simply means that a butterfly can inspire poetry and music

To listen to the music: “The Butterfly Effect. A Capriccio in C Major”, please click on the link below. (Duration 17 min. approx)

http://www.AuthorsDen.com/adstorage/6177/TheButterflyEffect.mp3