Naming the Butterflies

Brightly coloured Blue Morpho,
Migrating Monarchs,
Inachis io for Peacock,
2cm Cupido minimus,
The rare Queen Alexandra's Bird Wing,
A large white butterfly takes off
From a buttercup, the
Red Admiral feeding on rotting fruit,
Gliding Vanessa cardui---
And, oh, there is more to see
After page 24---a treasure missed
So interestingly framed.

In the counter, I drew out a
50-peso-bill;
Left the BookSale Store
Bringing home the butterflies
With me.



- ksm / 2014


*When was the last time you noticed a real butterfly?

26 comments:

  1. I do love butterflies, Kelvin. And, yes, they have such fascinating names, I think. Names that just roll around on the tongue. I can understand why someone would want to own such a book and to look at them again and again. Nice to see you, Kelvin.

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  2. I used to live in a place which had a butterfly museum but much prefer to see them alive in a book. Books with great photos are always a pleasure to own. Enjoy your book, Kelvin!

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  3. sad that it is only in a book...i get to see them in summer...i like to think of them as little sky dancers....i would hope we did not lose the butterflies along the way though at our current pace we might drive them to extinction soon enough and then this would become a sad reality....

    good to see you kelvin (and with comments open, smiles)
    happy new year to you.

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  4. Kelvin, how good to see you & at last we can comment ~

    I love butterflies and seeing them up close was a joy ~ To see them framed is conflicting for me but I have seen many of them being sold in frames ~

    Happy Sunday ~

    Grace

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  5. I went to a butterfly farm in Indonesia last year...it was fascinating. There is a wonderfull French movie called "Papillon" starring Michel Serrault. You would like it.

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  6. Get to enjoy the book, Kelvin! Great to see you back! It's so refreshing!

    Hank

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  7. I love the way this works, very clever how the names reveal meaning.

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  8. i like the concept in the end.. so many butterflies...in books, and through these books we get to know the "jungle"

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  9. a refreshing poem.. butterflies have a magic about them...

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  10. The names of butterflies are poetry themselves - cool idea.

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  11. excellent, exact and flitting off the page--the beauty of name and measurement

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  12. I love what Brian says about the "little sky dancers". Cool. Soon they will be back, in all their beauty!

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  13. smiles to you--I so love butterflies---lovely write

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  14. Kelvin,

    So nice to read your work again..butterflies are beautiful I love to watch them flutter around. You've been missed.

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  15. cool pen. Good to see you again, Kelvin ~

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  16. Greetings Kelvin at the start of this new year - it's been a while now... and a delicate pleasure as always to read your work - once again your sensibilities shine through a clever and revealing choice of focus for this piece. I wish you much inspiration in the coming months ahead... With Best Wishes Scott www.scotthastie.com

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  17. I love butterflies, but not enough to know their names. I love books. In this poem all three come together, which is an utter delight.

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  18. Butterflies sense, taste, even smell and feel their way through their feet. An intriguing and fascinating reality. I am a believer in all things butterfly so read your poem with great delight. I used to live not far from what was called a butterfly house. An entire section of a museum set aside for live butterflies. It was a luxury to go and sit in their midst for an afternoon. I'm sure you would enjoy...thanks Kelvin,

    Elizabeth

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  19. I love how you drew us in...and I thought, for a moment, you must be in the most amazing garden ever with so many species of the beautiful butterflies. I love that it was a bookstore.

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  20. I love butterflies for their color, innocence, harmless nature but I have never known their names before. Beautiful write! :)

    Best wishes
    Ankita

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  21. What about the forest fairies? Aren't they the ones who paint the butterflies?

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  22. Butterflies in winter time sound so summery! Thanks for bringing this theme, Kelvin!

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  23. I love seeing the beauty of butterflies, they are like flying flowers. Seeing them framed makes me consider how much we humans want to capture beauty.

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  24. is this what we called a "list poem"? :)
    beautifully written! some of the names are so special.

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  25. Nice. I really liked the journey through the photographs in the book. I looked at the pictures of the butterflies as well, alongside reading your words.

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Thanks for the kind words!

- kelvin s.m.