Chasing Butterflies

Like a bleary eyed boxer

At the sound of the bell,

I pause, and look yearningly 

For my corner in the world.

Out in the fields and meadows,

I saw the roses,

Felt the thorns,

Bathed in sunshine,

Battled storms, and 

I’m weary of the chase.

With the thick mud of 

Yesterdays on my boots,

I’ll turn around, and 

Look for home.

My garden needs weeding,

The rooms a good sweeping.

Then, I’ll sit on the porch smiling,

Watching pretty wings beguiling,

The afternoon sun kissing my face.

My gate is open, the fence is low,

My fruits are ripe and sweet,

Butterflies may flit and flutter,

And come in for a treat.

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

Can't think of a better way to relax. Let the time slip by watching the lovely butterflies. I always think of them as being the spirits of our dearly departed. I find them uplifting as well as beautiful creatures. Thank you Laz. I enjoyed the read.

Chris

[Laz K.]

Yes, beautiful they are, indeed. Even cats go wild chasing them. :)
Thanks for reading and commenting.

[Dave Brown]

Sounds like a plan
most of our fruit is picked but time is running out for sun kissed porch sitting, the butterflies are mostly gone but I did see a fuzzy caterpillar today
Enjoy the sun

[Laz K.]

In my part of the world, it's summer all year round. :)

[emmajoy]

Laz, this is sad: seems life's routine has hit your feelings. Perhaps, a switch-off button would be useful! Comes time to pause, to acknowledge those butterflies' brief lives are spent instinctively aware that what there is, is worth more than 'making do' . Better the best of less than less than nothing much. maybe. How wonderfully you use those last four lines! Butterflies (an clouds),make thoughts beautiful.

[barleygirl]

This is exactly where I'm at these days. I have no appetite for the strife out there, so I stay in my wilderness cocoon. I love your relaxing imagery (((HUGS)))

[Laz K.]

Thanks for reading and commenting.
It's hard to catch a butterfly. It's too much running about, plus it usually ends with wings getting crushed. Perhaps, if one sits still, they might come on their own.

[barleygirl]

For me it's hummingbirds. I get tons of them daily. And I agree, you can't chase down such magnificence!

[Eilis]

It feels like there is a growing sense of peace in the poem. The beginning denotes a sense of lostness but by the end it seems there is some semblance of acceptance. I think of it like lostness being a condition of living. And we maybe feel unsettled until we recognize that, to some degree, we are all searching for something that may be impossible to find. I like the sense of groundedness expressed in the poem. The butterflies symbolize something worldly and fleeting and flitting. Something quite transient in the span of time each one actually inhabits. We think of them as delicate but really they must endure much hardship to reach that final stage of what they are—very much like humans in their travels through life. So for me, it’s this embracing of transience, this being firmly in the moment and recognizing what will soon be gone, that grounds this moment and makes the sense of lostness dissipate. It’s a peaceful poem at the close despite that early tension. Perhaps because of that early tension.

[Laz K.]

Acceptance has been, and still is, one of the hardest lessons for me to learn. One may wish to postpone growing up, but illusions always shatter when they hit the cold, hard wall of reality. It makes one humble, and open to a different way of looking at the world.

Your critical reading skills are unmatched, and your comments are priceless. Thank you.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Oh, the trials of hard work, oh the glory of reaping the roots of our labor! Sitting on the porch has become a lost art these days, with people more connected with technology, not bothering to slow down and smell the roses - or to gaze at the flit and flutter of a butterfly. May we all be reminded of the bounty before us! Nice to meet you, Laz!

[Laz K.]

Nice to meet you too.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
:)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I think you definitely won this bout, and as champion of all that surrounds you, a rest on the porch is
warranted....deserved.
Those who are this observant always win the fight against boredom.
j.

[Laz K.]

Thanks, j.