camouflaged in fur
I see a caterpillar
inching from the flame.
it’s early morning,
and the sun does not feel strong.
could be the sunscreen,
self-preservation,
or it could be much larger,
something I can’t see.
she inches backward
and time stands still, unchanged.
she spirals forward:
tumbling with hope, faith
somersaulting fearlessly.
she wishes, dreams
for new beginnings
for all there is, it’s the past.
I long to help her
to help the others
and all that binds us as sisters.
their experience
alters the landscape.
we are told to mind the gap
that great divide before us.
the thought hurts my heart.
when and what went wrong?
parents are meant to protect us
from the evil, from that
combating its source.
we are not the enemy
blood is thicker than…
a small voice speaks up,
and the ears immune to the truth
turn away, deaf, mute.
an antenna quivers
she looks my way, then stops.
do I hear a sigh?
she speaks to me across the wind,
in whispers.
nature’s looking glass
lightly gives us pause
to this one moment:
as butterflies cocoon.
in four days time, a
new world emerges, giving
space for wings to fly.
***
Keep Our Children Safe Stop the violence against women and children
White Ribbon Campaign – putting an end to men’s violence against women and children
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