I once fell in love with a butterfly.
He was spotted shades of black and yellow,
With wings wide enough to keep us both safe.

He was my friend,
A delightful fellow.

I remember spring afternoons,
Running through fields of grass.
Chasing him.
He was quick,
Fluttered so fast.

On week days he'd wait for me,
Patiently to come home.

And sure enough,
When my two feet finally hit ground,
He'd land on my cheek
Flutter his wings,
And kiss me.

For so long- or so it felt like,
This friend was apart of me.

During summer,
We swam in pools,
Built sand castles out of dirt,
Climbed trees,
And shared sweet treats together.

It wasn't until the
First Fall leaf fell to the ground
That my butterfly disappeared.

My friend kept missing our play dates,
And I could never figure out why.

And like every child does,
I wept myself to sleep.

Snow blanketed grass,
And with it,
My memory of the butterfly.

I moved on,
Let the warmth of the fire
Melt away the
Chillness of the snow.

Then once again,
Spring.

Flowers bloomed,
Bees buzzed,
And feathers flew.
Yet no butterflies to be seen.

Then,
One afternoon
Coming home from school,
I noticed something familiar.

Not a butterfly by any means,
But a caterpillar.

I fell in love with this caterpillar,
His skin spotted black and yellow,
How his hair hardly ever looked kept.

He was my friend
Of a friend,
A delightful fellow.