Butterflies

I have often seen butterflies. They have become an icon of sorts. I never really payed them much attention until today. Their meaning has now changed for me - I think I understand why they are so beautiful.

Butterfly - an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colorful winged adult form. Most species are day-flying so they regularly attract attention. The diverse patterns formed by their brightly coloured wings and their erratic yet graceful flight have made butterfly watching a hobby.


Even when I was a kid, I felt like I was not yet who I was intended to be. The feeling has continued and intensified as I have matured.

Something does not seem quite right.

I am sure it sounds like a sort of madness, but I do not think I am who I am supposed to be. This thought has thrown me into a sense of loneliness, and has even tried to drown me in sorrow from time to time. I think I am finally coming to terms with this feeling - putting a word to what I am. Once you name something, it seems there is an added understanding of what the object of your naming is.

I am not a butterfly.

I know it is obvious, but I really mean it.

I am not a butterfly.

I wonder, do you think that caterpillars know what they are? What they are becoming? Deep down, I would like to believe they do. This realization is significant but I am not going to spell it out - that is a part of the mystery of it all... the part that makes butterflies amazing.

I have never really watched many butterflies. Now I think I would like to more often.

~David