A hail of leaves
into the windshield
Unrelenting yellow.
Soundless yet I can hear the sound
of life
Ending
Unyielding
Growing louder
with each second
until the hail is a maelstrom
A maelstrom of butterflies
into their looking glass
Unavoidable
And in another second
it is over
How is it that death can be so beautiful?
I wrote this poem on a road trip from Merida to Cancun. It was a tedious drive until a small force of nature woke me from my stupor. I didn’t understand at first what was happening, and when I did, it was both exhilarating and sad.
yomimiyo 
Beautiful Alison! I experienced the same from Merida to Chapab, Carlos’s grandmother’s pueblito. It was amazing, but when I got over my awe, I felt such sadness. I was telling Carlos to slow down so we would not kill so many of them… 😦
I know – it was crazy and there was no avoiding them. I don’t know what type they are, or the circumstances that propel them into oncoming traffic but that’s the mystery of nature for you….thanks for your comment 🙂
Those nature moments are awe-inspiring and then reality sets in, but the good news is this species produces so many offspring that the species will continue. What an incredible poem of what you witnessed and felt. Keep writing and sharing, Alison!
Lovely….poor little creatures…
Sent from my iPad
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I can see this in my imagination, a beautifully poignant illustration of how short and gorgeous life can be…especially when it seems, at first, like something else.