Friday, August 24, 2012

Unconscious Came A Beauty

                        Unconscious                             
                  came a beauty to my                       
               wrist                                                  
              and stopped my pencil,                       
         merged its shadow profile with                 
      my hand's ghost                                          
   on the page:                                                   
   Red Spotted Purple or else Mourning              
Cloak,                                                               
paired thin-as-paper wings, near black,              
were edged on the seam side poppy orange, 
      as were its spots.                                                       
 I sat arrested, for its soot-haired
body's worm
shone in the sun.
It bent its tongue long as
a leg
black on my skin
and clung without my
feeling,
while its tomb-stained
duplicate parts of
a window opened.
And then I
moved.                May Swenson

24 comments:

  1. No other word except Beautiful comes to mind- xo Diana

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    1. Everytime I see a butterfly, you would think I had never seen one before the way that I exclaim over them.

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  2. I agree. This is so beautiful.

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    1. Thanks, Kay. I bet you have some beautiful butterflies in Hawaii!

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    1. Thanks. Of course, that is my husband's photography!

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  4. A lovely poem for beautiful photos. Did you take these images? They're gorgeous. I adorab butterflies.

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    1. Dear Martha,
      I didn't know this poem until we were researching the butterfly we saw last week and we identified it as a "Red Spotted Purple" and this poem was mentioned. We think this is a swallowtail. Richard took these photos in June, he has not loaded our more recent ones yet. Now, every time I see a butterfly, I will think "Unconscious Beauty"!

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  5. Echoing the others, it is very beautiful. I'm like you, I never fail to be impressed by their delicate beauty.

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    1. Thanks, Tracey. We have a lot of butterflies in Georgia but it's very hard to get photos of them. Richard did well to get these shots!

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  6. Thank you, thank you for introducing me to a new poet. I've just been reading about her. Can't believe I've never heard of her before. This is an exceptional poem.

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    1. Dear Nan,
      I had never heard of her either! Just looking up the butterfly "limenitis arthemis" is where it mentioned this poem by May Swenson. Funny how you can learn a new poet from looking up info on a butterfly!
      So happy that I introduced you to a new poet. You have made my day! xx

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  7. Just gorgeous Kay - I also get hyper excited when I see a butterfly. Beautiful little creatures.

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    1. Me too! And there is such a wonderful variety, one must be very observant and notice not just the wings outspread, but also the underwings will have such different colors and markings. I love to observe them.

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  8. Makes me want a butterfly garden!

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    1. Hey Mimi!
      Butterflies like our garden, we leave it a bit wild for our birds and butterflies!

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  9. they are amazing resilient fragile creatures, aren't they kay? i love when one flutters by. i watch when one lands and flies and lands and flies back and lands again.

    they symbolize something fragile and free to me.....

    love
    kj

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    1. Just like the birds that come to my backyard, the fact that they are wild and free is what I love about them.
      I love birds but I don't want any in a cage!
      Fragile and free, I like that. We just saw a beautiful swallowtail and it had half of its wing missing, still beautiful though.

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  10. Beautiful Poem & Pictures. There is something so magical about Butterflies isn't there? Another reason to love summer...

    e

    p.s. Like the Hop on Hop Off Bus on your header. They are Ubiquitous in Europe, aren't they!

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    1. Thanks! And the bus is in Eastbourne, England right at the top of Beachy Head (well, on the road there anyway!) That bus was really moving, Richard is such a great photographer. He is a genius, he married me!

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  11. Quite moving poem. Both of the words and the image are beautiful. It inspires me to live life positively. Thanks so much.
    financial planners

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    1. Thank you so much. If I have sent off any positive sparks, then I am happy!

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