Do you remember
Growing up, butterfly?
A caterpillar
The world breathing around you,
A simple existence of sunshine and leaf,
Rain on your back
The hollows of the leaves to rock you to sleep
Nobody demanded anything of you,
Everything you had it was easy to keep
Do you remember
Growing up, butterfly?
Do you remember hiding yourself away?
Growing up shrouded in soft gray silence,
Changing before you knew what was happening to you,
Ignoring the rest of the world
Do you remember
Having grown up, butterfly?
Stepping shakily
Weak wings, watery legs
A world you can barely remember,
You were so long in that cocoon
Drying yourself in a glimmering golden sun
And taking off on your own,
And sure, it’s amazing to fly,
Have wings of flame and water
All the old butterflies envy you
I remember when I could still do that, they say,
Amazing to be all by yourself with the world
But you’re still all by yourself
The hollows of the leaves don’t rock you to sleep anymore
Your flame-water wings don’t fit
And your mother isn’t always there to feed you
Do you wish
You hadn’t grown up
Butterfly?