The Invisible Butterfly

author’s note:

Butterflies may seem to be on a frolic, but the truth is: they’re working their butts off the whole time.


THE INVISIBLE BUTTERFLY

This morning, when I saw the child
running in the sun—
her arms outstretched
her feet in too much of a rush—
I wrote:

Though she seems to be following
an invisible butterfly
the truth is:
she’s driven by a butterfly within.

I imagined that girl moving into adulthood
years from now—
still racing erratically through the tall grass
as if ruled by a mindless whimsy.

Those who watch her then
will wonder what she’s after
but her answers will only be evasions
because she’ll be as confounded as they are.
All she’ll know is:
her life seems to be captive
to a mysterious force
that destroys practical plans.

She’ll flitter and flutter here and there—

perhaps resting for a brief while
in a cool field smelling of honeydew melon.
Or perhaps she’ll pause for a season
on the shore of a brown lake
smelling of oil.

Though she will find satisfaction
in some of those places
in time, her peace will become
stagnation.
And then that drive will begin to stir deep within.
And the message will be: “move on”.

Sometimes she’ll try to ignore the instruction
but eventually she will learn:
she must obey an inborn aspiration
stronger than her conscious will.

Thinking about that child
and the woman she’d become
I again felt those wings rustling within.

So I whispered “bless you”
and moved on
led by my own inner butterfly.

After years of following
I can hear it now
as it silently says:
so much to be done
in so many places
before you can rest.

But I don’t bother to ask
“What’s it all for?”
because by now I know
the invisible butterfly
will not answer.

How Can I Live In This World?: poetry book
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© 2025, Michael R. Patton

How I Learned to Surf

author’s note:

I believe without question: there's a part of me that knows exactly what I need to do.


HOW I LEARNED TO SURF

Years ago
I felt my legs trembling
and could not see the cause

so I decided to close down
and sat myself down
on a flat desert stone.

But in stillness
I started to feel
mysterious energies
working within me:

an emotional ocean heaved and crashed
in waves of constant conflict.

I tried
but could not tame that storm.
I wanted to run
but felt too weak to stand.

Fortunately I remembered
a claim made by the ancients:

way down below can be found
the foundation stone of our being.

Desperate for security
I then dove
into those unruly waters—

in search of the stone
I fought my way down

and down

until I felt a calm powerful presence—

its big ocean bell
sounded out this message:

open...
open up…
open more!

From experience I knew:
inner guidance must be obeyed
even when the action seems hazardous.

So I opened my toes
my hands
my chest
my stomach
my groin

then opened my eyes
to find myself
standing on that flat stone—
my feet planted apart
and my arms spread wide
for balance, for balance
as I surfed
over waves of soil and sand.

A victory, yes
but I must admit
now, years later
I still tremble with tension.
But when a little becomes too much
I refuse to shut down—
no, I open more
and go with the motion.

In that way
I manage to stand strong
and ride the waves
of this incredible ocean storm.

mythsteps · How I Learned to Surf

Listening to Silence: poetry book
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myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2024, Michael R. Patton