Poetry Thursday: Clarence Major

On Watching a Caterpillar Become a Butterfly
By Clarence Major

It's a slow, slow process sitting here on the porch
just watching a clumsy male milkweed caterpillar
slowly turning itself into a graceful butterfly while
hanging from the underside of a withered leaf dark with life
among a pungent cluster of other rich leaves
from this old branch leaning over my banister
at a certain Point in its natural growth
probably caterpillar thinks it can decide which way
it wants to go - to fly or die, by simply taking an Oath and dreaming
of having the loveliness of, say, the male-crow butterfly
or having the stripes of the tiger butterfly
or maybe stay in the chrysalis stage of become a friar butterfly
caterpillar is a dreamer and a natural schemer
in this changing light where cuticle-shaped drops of fluid
glow and glow like red nectar
changing itself as it hangs from the bottom
of this green leaf wedged tightly
as though bolted with metal springs,
throwing off that light, a light of silver-purple
outlined in gold - golden trimmings

[Reprinted here only for personal and educational use. COPYRIGHT 1994 African American Review]