The Butterfly, Part I
One warm Summer’s day
As I sat in my folding chair
Something caught my eyey
Something there
Something flying through the air
It was a butterfly
It did flitter and flutter by
When it decided to land
It landed on my left hand
I sat motionless
And my emotion was bliss
I said, “Hello, my little friend”
“How are you doing today?”
It caught me by surprise when he replied,
“Fine thank you. How are things with you?”
That set my head a reeling
You can imagine what I was feeling
My eyes went wide
I was surprised
Confused I managed a reply
“Why, I’m doing well myself.”
“How is it you can talk?”
He said, “I’m not actually talking”
“You’re just hearing my thoughts”
It’s psychic telepathy, my friend
“What I think travels to you in the end”
Am I mad or am I a loon
Inside some crazy cartoon?!
I’m talking to a butterfly
It must be a full moon
He said, “No my friend you see
You’re as sane as me
All animals can talk
It’s just as plain as reality”
I came out here to forget
And smoke a cigarette
And drink my wine
And get as drunk as I could get
The butterfly sat motionless thinking
While I sat actively smoking and drinking
The butterfly said, “That’s not the answer to your problems”
“Your ship is quickly sinking”
Then he said, “I think you’ve forgotten how to dream”
“It’s really easier than it may seem”
“All you need do is to just believe”
“And you can do anything that you can conceive”
He went on, “Another thing you have forgotten”
“Is that sometimes life can be a bit rotten”
“You still need to learn how to deal with it”
“Even though it may hurt quite a bit”
I said, “I think I can learn how to dream again”
“It’s something the monster and daemon shunt down”
“But now that my mind is on the mend”
I just need to get my brain off the ground”
I went on, “Yes, life has dealt me some nasty blows
“But it’s not quite as bad as some others”
To deal with it is something I know”
But I’d rather not, If I had my drothers”
The butterfly said, “another thing you need to work on
“Is something else that will never be gone”
“It’s your preoccupation with fear”
“You need to adjust cause it won’t disappear”
He continued, “Sometimes your life can be guilt driven”
“Ask the Great Spirit and you will be forgiven”
“You also have the same problem with fear”
Just ask His help and it will all disappear”
He went on, “You need to gain more motivation”
“And to improve your concentration”
“You can do this by exercising your brain”
“And getting rid of lazy thoughts that remain”
He said, “One thing you need to have is empathy”
“It’s not enough just to have sympathy”
“Put yourself in the other person’s place”
“To understand the pain that they may face”
I said, “There you go insulting me again”
“First you infer that I’m dumb, then you call me lazy”
“Mr. Butterfly, I thought you were my friend”
“Next will you be calling me crazy?”
He said, “Not crazy, but maybe a little bit mad”
“From all the damage your brain has had”
“Some of which you’ll never recover from”
“But that just makes you a bit looney, not dumb”
I retorted, “So now my sanity is on trial”
“Do you think there is that much damage to my brain?”
“You’re really starting to get me riled”
“First I’m dumb, then lazy, now I’m insane!”
I continued, “I don’t think I’m dumb, insane or lazy”
“Just a little bit unmotivated at times
“Right now my mind is a little bit hazy”
“Because of all your riddles and rhymes”
He came back, “I did not mean to imply you were lazy”
“And you’re not dumb, but maybe a bit crazy”
“Courage is something you do lack”
“You don’t know when to hold back or when to attack”
The butterfly said, “I do not speak in riddles and rhymes”
It’s how you perceive what I say in your mind”
“A lot of what you say sounds like babble”
“But it’s the monster and daemon’s game of scrabble”
I said, “You’re saying the monster and daemon’s power”
“Still holds some control over my mind”
“To control then my outlook is dour”
But consequences are hard to leave behind”
He said, “It’s not the consequences that are hard”
“The monster and daemon keep you off guard”
“It’s just the residual effects”
“Left by the monster and daemon’s affects”
I went on, “So you’re saying the monster and daemon
“That are still alive inside me”
“Can influence me beyond their prison”
“And I will never really be free?”
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