A Butterfly
I killed a butterfly today
then tried to write a poem
I don't know why I did it
It died without a home
It struck me as compelling
as I recalled what my parents used to say
be mindful of your surroundings
a flap of butterfly wings can change a day
I thought little of it then
yet now I obsess as I reminisce
if a butterfly flap can change so much
what of the absence of it?
Have I sealed my fate to infamy
or paved my way to riches
but maybe if I kill another?
my unforeseeable fate switches
But what's a butterfly to me?
it wasn't much before
now you expect me to believe
it holds the key to what's in store?
Free will must exist
at least as long as I believe it to
foolish of me to think my dead butterfly
could have some affect on you
Yet I sit here thinking
of thoughts I've never had
a liar I would be to tell you
that I haven't changed a tad
It did not have a name
and I did not have a reason
yet as I blankly stared down
I felt as if I had committed treason
So I sweep away the body
and leave the room to clear my head
if my hand's never clapped
this butterfly would not be dead
so be wary of the change you bring
the waves you choose to make
that butterfly could have changed a day
and not believing that was my mistake
Font size:
Submitted on July 27, 2014
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:18 min read
- 11 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AXBXCAXA XXXBDEXE DFXFXGXG CHGHXIXI DJXJCKAK |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,187 |
Words | 256 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Translation
Find a translation for this poem in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Butterfly" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/64121/a-butterfly>.
Discuss the poem A Butterfly with the community...
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In