butterfly messengers

from above a hum, a gentle pop and they appear out of thin air large as Right whales out of the sky they pour in like colorful dreams gliding down on papered metal wings, the airborne clan descents down from the sky they drop in like colorful dreams below in the zenith grass you can hear the trumpets bellowing it’s the call of the cattle with compound eyes the Red Admiral and the Painted Lady look to each other and smile wryly in comfort solace their gears click like giant clocks as they approach their prey you can hear cogwheels rotate, twirl, twist, and spin dipping he speaks to her in a tonal pleonasm: “Vanessa here is one to savage.” wings flapping torque reduced they hover large as Right whales swooping down as grazing prey forage lowered legs from above extend in symphonic precision the ticking gear’s teeth of gold leaf tarsal claws open grasping neck, withers, and hook bone wheels and pulleys that clicked forward on contact reverse as messengers take flight rising legs and hoofs dangle the startling sounds of engaged revolutions and they are gone again, from above the swoosh of giant fabricated wings is heard a hum, and a gentle pop as others appear in succession the vibrant colorful segmented wings of mourning cloaks and blue morphos like clockwork they come and go cogs cycle providing aortic functions with blood and gasoline driven, engaged they are sweet asylum quick turns provide an everlasting image from across skies down into juniper landings float the viceroy and the tortoiseshell cattle bellowing, bellowing as they are hauled away lugged away with ease it’s a granted feast on return flights oil, blood, and gasoline bleed out gears thump a thunderous beat landing to ferment time the Red Admiral calls out “Bring them to the egrets cervical cage.” desperate bellows go unheard away on papered metal wings