Caterpillar's End
With jewels dangling from his lobes
and a gnarled finger entangled in dreadlocks,
“Arrrg, we must find the cove,
where the butterflies grow!”
exclaims Captain Metamorphosis with a grin.
For they behold the secrets of treasures within.
“And all the world will know it was I
who found this mysterious gold that holds
the power of the great transmogrification.”
Rumor has it that it cures the old,
changing them backwards in time.
For time was running out for the ol’ captain
whose beard was greying with age.
He rounded up the wisest of wizards,
the smartest sage of his day,
who had knowledge of the legend
and maps of bygone days.
He had to be wise to find this prize
Before He ended up in a grave.
Onward his ship roamed uncharted waters,
sailing though storms and rogue waves.
Often His mind would wander, nothing else mattered,
as He pondered the powers at play.
And just when He thought the journey was lost
and years had gone swiftly by,
A creature flew across his sight.
Enchanting his predisposition.
Giving hope unto his mission.
It landed on the side of his boat
Pointing their way to a distant island
with the ocean as its moat.
“Land ho!” He cried, “Lay anchor and moor to its rocky shore!”
The creature flew off toward the cove
that seemed to be lost in time.
With sweat and tears
the Captain’s mind was spinning with anticipation,
“Finally, at last, tell me it’s not my imagination!”
He jumped off the boat and swam to shore.
Upon touching the sand,
His head was swarmed by the little minions.
Captain Metamorphosis was in awe at what He saw.
For lo’ and behold their wings had SKULLS on them
AND their little legs looked like CROSSBONES.
And they weren’t butterflies at all! But moths they arrrg!
Without thinking at all.
He scooped up a handful out of the air.
And gobbled them down his throat.
And in an instant, He began to choke.
Then He passed out,
dreaming of what’s to come . . .
dreaming of being young again,
dreaming into the beyond . . .
Suddenly, his body began to convulse,
stretched out and grew long.
His hair fell out, his teeth grew sharp.
From his torso grew many arms and many legs . . .
And then his eyes popped open wide.
It was then that he proceeded to crawl
into the darkness
into the cove
of Caterpillar's End.
Copyright © Benjamin Bartley | Year Posted 2024
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