There are pearly white flowers
that delicately sway
mimicking tiny dancing butterflies
within the lacy shrubs sector
breeze blown away
blooms of heaven-sent nectar
an attraction, an invitation
A meadow brown butterfly swarms to
its empowering rich white petals
resting, buckled, uncoiled tongue, sucking
scaled wings clasped, it settles
stupefied by scents, it feeds
bewildered by sugary sucrose
ideal prey for a spider’s capture
in its ampullate silk orb web
sticky droplets woven to ensnare
Asclepias incarnata, magnets for pollinators
Ice-ballet swamp milkweeds
amongst igneous rocks banding from foliation
rocks formed from cooled magma
gravy tones, an obsidian correlation
where white flowers string
In a momentums gain,
a brown butterfly takes wing
And so it begins on a day in spring
On a plant bearing a Greek* god's name
It's as fit for a god as it is a king
And the spring breezes caress it just the same
In a few days the plant will know
If a king will ascend to the throne
And bows its leaves in sunshine's glow
As the royal presence becomes known
Then Zeus roars and it begins to rain
As a thunder storm passes through
Lustrous sun shows his face again
It won't be long till the king's debut
From a silken thread wrapped in disguise
A regal beauty emerges, a jewel in the sun
When its wings dry then it will rise
And do an aerial dance for fun
Crowned by the gods in wings colored bright
The Monarch takes its majestic flight
~ ~
2-11-19
And So It Begins Contest
Sponsored By: Line Gauthier
*Milkweed is the common name for a group of plants
that belong to the Asclepias genus. This genus of plants
is named after Asclepius, the god of medicine and
healing in ancient Greek mythology.
G'day friends, I'll be fer intraducin' me self ta ye. I be Periwinkle, cook ta the High Court of Fairieand teller of tall tales. Hang a peony seed round ye wee ones necks, so ye donna lose them ta the fairie and I'll begin.
Todays tale is of Asclepias's pod boats. Fer drunk wus God on Ascle's wine when He made the whole world.
As told, Mordan had brought fall to the land and stalks dried. They fell from Ascle's arms as charcoal gray pods. The soldiers of the Seelie* Court took them and made boats with butterfly sails. How proud wus Auscle that his milkweed pods would serve the Fey King. All of Auscle's parts were precious ta the fey his seeds served as stuffin' for the Fey Courts gamesons. His flowers brought butterflies. And so, as fall passed to winter Auscle's gave, he gave his life's blood to heal the wounded, his boats brought war.
*Asclepias Milkweed
*Seelie are the good fairy the beautiful ones
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