Inspired by all three works of art by artists Gaynor Kane, John Phandal Law, and Anjum Wasim Dar.

Butterflies and Crows

In the time of before
when color emerged from grey,
and butterflies swayed, seeing
blue, green, red, and yellow,
when storms erupted, and branches grew
and everything had a counterpart
in nature’s art of fractals, circles, and stars–
the sun and moon, the night and day
kept earth balanced, though
a small-winged tipped could cause a shift,
but mostly that was righted.

Now ice drips, and winds drift
in wayward tempest gales,
the trees are split, their roots cry out
and mycelium networks ache as they transmit
arboreal dying sounds.

You dream of the past, you dream of now
and in your dreams, you understand

that crows carry wisdom’s key—they warn
with caws–
even if nobody listens.

I am once again participating in Paul Brookes’ April Ekphrastic Challenge. Each…