The grass is parched and oh so dry,
Our butterfly the same,
So hot and thirsty, he could cry,
Petunias look aflame.
His coat is tattered, battle scarred,
From dragonfly attacks,
The lovely patterns cruelly marred,
He fears that love he lacks.
He thinks of cooler days gone by
When rhodos welcomed him,
And how his lovely coat, now dry,
Is tattered and so dim.
But every life through time must pass
However short or long,
He’s dreaming of that greener grass,
And how he once was strong.



July 5, 2026 at 3:33 pm
A good synopsis Anneli. Hope you get rain soon. So sad to see the butterflies falling to pieces. Have a good afternoon. Allan
LikeLiked by 2 people
July 5, 2026 at 3:43 pm
Yes, it is. Looks like this one has had a rough time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 3:40 pm
I hope you have rain soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 3:41 pm
Thanks, Kymber. We had a very tiny bit, and were thankful for it, but more is needed. (Remind me that I said that when the monsoons come this winter!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 3:44 pm
It is very hot and dry here as well. It hasn’t rained here in weeks. However, we might get something. Allegedly a severe thunderstorm is approaching. We’ll see. In any case that was a poignant and beautiful poem. I hope you will get rain soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 3:46 pm
Thanks, Thomas. Yes, a bit of rain now and then is good to keep things green and alive. It’s a bit scary the way things are getting hotter and drier every year.
LikeLike
July 5, 2026 at 4:44 pm
Battered butterfly bravely bears bruises.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 4:46 pm
Bingo!
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 5:02 pm
I hope that your area and mine get rain very soon! We seriously need to invest in desalination plants all along the west coat of North America.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 6:47 pm
Yes, but don’t they take a lot of electricity? I think maybe they do….
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 7:03 pm
I’m very sure they do…
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 5:45 pm
That is a beautiful poem, Anneli. I hope it rains soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 6:45 pm
Thanks so much, Jennie. Maybe later this week we’ll get a few drops.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 6, 2026 at 4:37 am
🙏
LikeLike
July 5, 2026 at 6:14 pm
That butterfly certainly has seen better days. I hope you get rain soon, Anneli.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 6:44 pm
Yes, life can be hard.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 6:28 pm
Swallowtails are such beautiful butterflies, I haven’t see one this summer.
I enjoyed your poem; I hope you get some rain soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 6:44 pm
Thanks, Belinda. Maybe we should do a swap; some swallowtails for some goldfinches.
LikeLike
July 5, 2026 at 7:11 pm
Wouldn’t that be nice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 8:29 pm
YES!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 8:24 pm
From Marsha to Anneli, beautiful photos and word perfect , nature is short and strong. Have enjoyed the large numbers of tiger swallowtail butterfly floating in the air. Rhodos to blackberry blossoms have attracted this golden butterfly . thank you friend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 5, 2026 at 8:29 pm
It’s so sad to see this poor little guy all beat up, after they all looked so fine in the spring. Thanks for your comment, Marsha.
LikeLike
July 5, 2026 at 11:07 pm
rain is missed also in our country and garden
the flowers are thursty, the gras is dry
summer is hot, some people like it not
other like it much, we can´t change it
It is like it is…….
,
??????? funny words I wrote!!!!!!
🙂 Erika
LikeLike
July 6, 2026 at 6:35 am
Nice feel of summer here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 6, 2026 at 7:26 am
Anneli, your poem stayed with me because it speaks so gently about something much larger than a butterfly. It begins with summer and heat, yet quietly becomes a meditation on time, resilience and the inevitable marks that life leaves on all of us. And I also loved your photographs. They don’t merely illustrate the poem; they deepen it. The butterfly’s worn wings tell a story that no perfect specimen ever could. There is a quiet dignity in them, as if experience has become part of their beauty.
Your final stanza touched me most. We so often admire nature for its freshness, yet there is another kind of beauty in endurance. A butterfly with weathered wings has not failed at being a butterfly—it has simply lived. And perhaps butterflies know something we humans keep forgetting: they never compare this summer with the last one. They simply keep flying as long as their wings will carry them. There is a small wisdom in that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 6, 2026 at 9:07 am
Rosie, you should be a philosopher. You’ve got it all figured out. Thank you for your insight.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 6, 2026 at 11:10 am
Beautiful colours, Anneli!
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 6, 2026 at 2:48 pm
Thanks, Pit.
LikeLike