Butterfly in Pajamas

An unfamiliar face
an unacquainted guest
hanging in my oak tree
still in his nightgown.

I cocked my head,
narrowed my eyes
and lifted the creature in his pajamas
out of my tree.

He didn't look so bad
just a little shriveled
like a prune in the desert
wrinkled and unaware.

The being was preparing
to remove his cover
and enter the new world
to try on his new clothes.

I grew incredibly impatient
my mouth practically seething
and with a warm breath
I disrobed him.

There he sat in the palm
of my fleshy, overly anxious hand.
The little soul shook violently
and desperately tried to open his arms.

He curled up into a ball
and shook more violently than before;
I could almost hear him gasping
and donning his new new wardrobe.

One more shake and - nothing.
He was gone.
Droplets of despair met my eyes,
for I had taken his innocent little life.

As I look back on that dreary morning,
I think of Mother Nature
and how she gave the little creature a chance
that I took away.




Just call me Father Time.