Jun
2011
Soul of a Monarch
Some people adopt cats, dogs, even snakes or ferrets. I adopt a butterfly.
It begins late afternoon, a gorgeous Indian Summer day in Norman, Oklahoma. The sun gets in my eyes.
As I turn to step down heavily from the curb, I glimpse a disconcerting splotch of color: a living Monarch butterfly, wings slowly flexing, sitting upon an oil stain.
Kind soul that I am, I bend to free it from the tar pit, but coming closer I recognize the degree of his plight. “Oh, no wonder.” A break in the leading edge its left forewing leaves it shredding and useless for flight. “He’s not going anywhere.”
I want to move it to a safer place, away from crushing wheels or heels, but as I look around, I see no place suitable to place him. He puts up little resistance as I carefully scoop him up onto my index finger. I imagine he was hit by a car and flung by the force of wind to this very spot. Legs collapsed on his left side, both antennae gone, I’m thinking, “this is one ******-up butterfly!” Continue Reading →
