Butterfly’s Adieu

 

Ron and Vicki Sullivan

Henri Charrière and Dega

their plan of escape

from Devil’s Island

Who knows what their fate?

Charrière leaps from the cliff

His fate is unknown

He grasps at his float

sets course for his home

Unlike Puccini’s Butterfly

imaginative operatic repertoire

tragic heroine Madama

has chosen her star

Like a larva in pupation

its skin molts away

Hindwings and forewings

Are bound to display

Papillon’s head and abdomen

seem quite intact

It must search for a host

to feed its thorax

A week on the sea

or a week in flight

Its proboscis is long

Throughout its short life

May your week on the sea

or a week in flight

garnish your tastes

for a gardener’s delight

Happy gardening!

See you in September!

Sand n’ Seeds n’ More

Editorial Staff

Vicki and Ron live in the community of Quail Creek. Vicki is on the Instructional Affairs Committee, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Green Valley Campus. Ron is a board member for the Green Valley Gardeners.