Lately I’ve been feeling stuck. 

I’m covered in drying orange marmalade  

It makes me sweet and sticky

What divinity 

All I know is the bitter walls that create my home,

my vision is an orange angelic haze;

I can’t see past this new spring rain 

I can’t move 

cocooned between now and then 

And what’s here and what’s there 

You and them. 

I’m not doing all that great 

But I’m hopeful to emerge from my marmalade jar 

A new butterfly forevermore,

With beautiful orange wings. 

The empty shell I’m leaving behind 

is a reminder of the change I promise to bring, 

For you 

For them 

For me. 

Nothing will scare me anymore;

Not with my bright wings 

I can drink the dew drops left from late spring rain 

And I can migrate, 

and fly through the summer rain. 

You’ll then see 

How marvelous your once 

small 

slow 

lazy 

weak 

caterpillar 

can truly be.

The Monarch Butterfly is a well known species of the Nymphalidae Family. They are dependent on the milkweed plant to sustain their population since they use it as both a food source and a place to lay eggs. These butterflies are also notorious for their long migrations. They do so to avoid cold weather, and then migrate back north in the spring to breed. Monarchs are also commonly used as a sign of transformation and strength because of these devastating migrations that are up to 3,000 miles long. These creatures, which are often viewed as weak, are seen as extraordinary in their will to migrate for a better chance at living.