Friday, June 15, 2018

Monarch Mask Poem


(Picture by Kenneth Dwain Harrelson)


One sunny day
I laid a wee egg
beneath a broad leaf.
It was a gem,
pearly and white--
a seed of new life,
a small bit of me
that I'll never see
grow wings and take flight.
 
Some time ago, I began writing a collection of mask poems tentatively titled Butterfly Days. The poems are told in the voices of a Monarch butterfly, butterfly egg, and larva--as well as a milkweed plant. I put the manuscript on the shelf and haven't worked on it for many months. The poem above is the fourth one in the collection at the present time.
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Karen Edmisten has the Poetry Friday Roundup this week.
 

7 comments:

Linda said...

I love your mask poems and your idea for a butterfly collection. I do the same thing. I have many collections that are partially finished. It's so hard to find a publisher for poetry, but you did it once, and I know you'll do it again! xo

Elaine Magliaro said...

Linda, I had a lot of help. Grace Lin sent my manuscript to Melissa Manlove at Chronicle Books. It's true what you say about poetry. That makes me sad because poetry is what I love to write. I've started writing picture books. Maybe one of them will have a better chance of getting published than a poetry collection.

Linda Mitchell said...

And, it is beautiful! pearly white....never see....

Linda B said...

You always bring into your mask poems something new to me, Elaine, like the idea that butterfly will never see the offspring. It's like you have a wee pipeline into their feelings. Love this!

Mary Lee said...

I have seen one monarch in the wild so far this summer. I long for them to find my milkweed and leave their precious pearly white gems on their leaves!

You are absolutely my mentor for writing mask poems--you're the best!

Kay said...

What a lovely thought for mama monarch. I'm hoping to see some monarch eggs and caterpillars and maybe even a butterfly emerging from the milkweed in our garden. Last year I had several caterpillars who munched all the milkweed, but no butterflies.

Michelle Kogan said...

Lovely Monarch poem Elaine–I hope your collection finds a home sometime soon. I've been writing and creating art about monarchs and milkweed for sometime now and also hope to do something with the writing. I have a sea of milkweed in my yard each summer, many "pearly and white" eggs, a few caterpillars and monarchs, thanks!