Freedom for the Butterfly (1988)


"Freedom for the Butterfly" - drawing by Harvey Dog 2019 for the 1988 poem "Freedom for the Butterfly".

The shadows on the wall
captivate my attention
like shit does flies,
you’ve gone and left me
staring at the clock
waiting for your call.

The early morning sun
beams through my window
leaving me a silhouette
of my former self.

You said you had to be free,
I didn’t realize I was
such a tyrant
waving a flag of authority
in your face.

Stop me stop me…
before I go too far
and say things…
I’ll later regret.

You’re a butterfly
flying from one set
of arms
to another.

I was one set of arms
briefly entwining
your love in my web…

Ah, what a fool I was
to think I could
capture a butterfly
and keep it alive
in my tyrant’s grasp.

1988



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