Friday, September 19, 2014

Tenants of Air

Follow the spiders...Why spiders? Why couldn’t it be "follow the butterflies"?!
~Ron Weasley


This video of a flutist who has a butterfly land on her face during a competition made me want to have a butterfly theme for Poetry Friday:


THE BUTTERFLY'S BALL
by William Roscoe

Come take up your Hats, and away let us haste
To the Butterfly's Ball, and the Grasshopper's Feast.
The Trumpeter, Gad-fly, has summon'd the Crew,
And the Revels are now only waiting for you.

So said little Robert, and pacing along,
His merry Companions came forth in a Throng.
And on the smooth Grass, by the side of a Wood,
Beneath a broad Oak that for Ages had stood,


Saw the Children of Earth, and the Tenants of Air,
For an Evening's Amusement together repair.
And there came the Beetle, so blind and so black,
Who carried the Emmet, his Friend, on his Back.

And there was the Gnat and the Dragon-fly too,
With all their Relations, Green, Orange, and Blue.
And there came the Moth, with his Plumage of Down,
And the Hornet in Jacket of Yellow and Brown;

Who with him the Wasp, his Companion, did bring,
But they promis'd, that Evening, to lay by their Sting.
And the sly little Dormouse crept out of his Hole,
And brought to the Feast his blind Brother, the Mole.

Read the rest of The Butterfly's Ball

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A Blue Butterfly
by JR Solonche

I was outside reading.

A blue butterfly settled on the table.

The opening and closing of its blue wings

looked like a small blue book opening and closing to one blue page.

Then it looked like a blue eye opening and closing.

Then it looked like the blue book.

Then it looked like the blue eye.

Then the blue book.

********

Truth Serum
By Naomi Shihab Nye

We made it from the ground-up corn in the old back pasture.
Pinched a scent of night jasmine billowing off the fence,
popped it right in.
That frog song wanting nothing but echo?
We used that.
Stirred it widely. Noticed the clouds while stirring.
Called upon our ancient great aunts and their long slow eyes
of summer. Dropped in their names.
Added a mint leaf now and then
to hearten the broth. Added a note of cheer and worry.
Orange butterfly between the claps of thunder?

Read the rest here.


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Ten Taps
by Megan Arkenberg

the ten taps of your fingertips
to a sonnet’s beat

Read the rest here (Sorry, it's short. I would have gotten permission, if I hadn't done this at the last minute...)

********

More flute:


A final word from Emily Dickinson:

In the name of the Bee -
And of the Butterfly –
And of the Breeze – Amen!

********

Amy at The Poem Farm is the Poetry Friday round-up host this week.

13 comments:

Amy LV said...

What a joyous post to find this chilly fall morning. Butterflies everywhere! I love this:

"The opening and closing of its blue wings

looked like a small blue book opening and closing to one blue page."

And that musician, amazing. It made me think of this one, also so heartwarming - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vBo0ptYJNs

Happy Poetry Friday!

Author Amok said...

"The Blue Butterfly" is my favorite poem of the day. The image of the alternating eye and opening book is going to stay with me.

Doraine said...

Delightful feast of delicate words taking wing. I, too, love that image of eye and book!

jama said...

Love this butterfly celebration. "A Blue Butterfly" is my favorite poem too.

I sure hope that flutist won her competition -- what great composure. What are the chances a butterfly would land on your face and stay there for so long?

Linda B said...

Dear Tabatha, what a glorious collection today. I've printed them all out to put into my notebook! Naomi Nye's images are so beautiful, "Pinched a scent of night jasmine", a "recipe" of how to write a poem, too. Thank you!

Liz Steinglass said...

These are wonderful! Like Laura I especially love The Blue Butterfly and the book and the eye. I can see the butterfly opening and closing its wings.

Bridget Magee said...

Oh Tabatha, this is a much better butterfly collection than what they made us do in biology class! LOL! As to what Ron Weasley said, if you do follow the spiders, I know of one who has something to offer at my blog. Just don't bring your butterfly friends- for their own safety. = )

Joyce Ray said...

Tabatha, thank you for the video and the collection of poems. My absolute favorite is Truth Serum. I love the line about the ancient aunts and “their long slow eyes of summer.” Also, the way the syrup lifted the sorrow in small ways. This poem reminds me of daughters concocting dandelion soup and acorn appetizers.

Robyn Hood Black said...

So happy to have fluttered into your post! I kept seeing butterflies on my walk today and trying to conjure up a line or two of poetry about them in my head; nothing approached these wonderful offerings. Thank you!

(Saw that musician on the news this week - what composure!)

Holly Mueller said...

I love butterflies! And the idea of a "Butterfly Ball" - delightful! Your post put me in a happy mood!

Keri said...

I love how your mind works! One of my favorite Ron quotes, and a video I wouldn't have seen otherwise. As someone who long ago sang in competitions, I was amazed at her composure. Any other insect would have caused mayhem. The old song "Ugly Bug Ball" came to mind . . .

Violet N. said...

That flautist kept amazing composure under with that butterfly, who looked quite charmed by the music.

The Nye poem kept on being lovely past the part you posted. I liked these lines:

"And once we had it,
had smelled and tasted the fragrant syrup,
placing the pan on a back burner for keeping,
the sorrow lifted in small ways. "

Ruth said...

I love that Naomi Shihab Nye poem - haven't seen it before.