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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
ON WATCHING A CATERPILLAR BECOME A BUTTERFLY, by CLARENCE MAJOR Poet Analysis Poet's Biography
First Line: It's a slow, slow process
First Line: It's a slow, slow process
It's a slow, slow process.
A clumsy male
milkweed caterpillar
is turning itself
into a butterfly.
It hangs from the underside
of a withered leaf dark
among a pungent cluster
of rich leaves. Just
hangs there as though
it were not changing
at all. But at a certain point
in its natural growth
caterpillar thinks it can
decide which way
it wants to go -- to fly
or die. Should it take
an oath and dream
of having the loveliness
of the tiger butterfly or maybe
become a friar butterfly?
Caterpillar is a dreamer,
and a natural schemer.
In this changing light
the cuticle-shaped
drops of fluid
glow and glow
like red nectar.
It changes itself
as it hangs there,
wedged tightly as though
bolted with metal springs.
It now throws off brighter light --
a light of silver-purple
outlined in gold --
with golden trimmings.
Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA
98368-0271, www.cc.press.org
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