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 | ||||||||
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 | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE SYNCOPATED CAKEWALK by CLARENCE MAJOR REVELATION AT CAP FERRAT by CLARENCE MAJOR SAND FLESH AND SKY by CLARENCE MAJOR A GUY I KNOW ON 47TH AND COTTAGE by CLARENCE MAJOR AGING TOGETHER by CLARENCE MAJOR AT THE ZOO IN SPAIN by CLARENCE MAJOR ATELIER CEZANNE by CLARENCE MAJOR BALLROOM DARK by CLARENCE MAJOR |
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