Wings of a Butterfly

Wings of a Butterfly
Cynthia Zhang
Written on March 23, 2017

Wings of a Butterfly

Commemorating Professor Shel Stryker Before Qingming Festival

Wings of a butterfly,

Fluttering, trembling, and stumbling.

Wings of a Butterfly,

Dazzling, puzzling, and flying.

The butterfly landed on Shel’s shoulder.

Its rainbow wings glistened

In the drizzle of a spring night

And brightened his wife’s wavy hair.

Holding each other’s hands,

The couple strolled together through

Spring, summer, autumn, and winter,

Whispering into each other’s ears,

Till they disappeared from sight.

The wings of the butterfly

Led thoughts by a cemetery

Into an encounter wished for

Thousands of times.

The seasonal butterfly has flown

Into a future that never ends.

The grass leaf from last year’s grave

Has grown into a web of memory

From its greenness of gratitude.