I Dreamt I Was a Butterfly
I am a thousand years old,
Thousands of thousands,
And here, tonight I awoke from a dream
Where I was a butterfly
In my dream I saw an old man
And I heard an old woman
Talking of my beauty, my freedom
I let them come near me in the garden
I spoke to them while I stayed for a long time
They did not hear me as I told them
This happiness you feel seeing me
This is the good left in your diminished world
I flew to their planted flowers, what else could I do –
I want to remind them of what joy is
And this old man and this old woman sat
On their old chairs, and they held hands
I landed on the old woman’s knee, and she laughed
I landed on the back of the old man’s hand
They sat still
And they remembered the Universe.
CK Munsell © August 5, 2024