Flight Of The Monarch

The migration of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

Flight Of The Monarch

It's August. 

And as the wind howls through the autumn sky, 

And the leaves in shades of aspen and red fall, 

The king peeks out from a still-green leaf

Of a grand, majestic oak tree. 

It's time, he knows. 

In the distance, the sky seems to darken. 

A distant shadow seems to cover the sky, 

Yet this shadow is strangely orange, 

Made up of hundreds

Of monarch butterflies, 

The kings and queens of the insect world.

The shadow seemingly blocks out the sky, 

A writhing body made up of hundreds. 

The king takes flight, 

Joining this massive shadow, 

As they swoop through the skies

Through cold, biting winds

To escape the unforgiving winter,

From the east of the Rocky Mountains to Michoacan. 

And from the west to coastal and southern California. 

The massive congregation of insects

Rests upon some evergreen trees. 

Some of the kings and queens have passed on

During this arduous journey, 

Yet the others press on, 

As their instincts order them to. 

The months move on. 

The king is old and weak,

Yet he moves on with the rest of the monarchs, 

Determined to make it. 

Pressing on through the distant skies he rides

Swooping above the world, 

Fearing almost no predator. 

Finally, they reach Michoacan.

And as the butterflies reach the trees

Where they will spend the rest of winter

The king clusters with them. 

He knows his time is almost up, 

Yet he is resigned to his fate, 

As the night falls. 

The next day, all is quiet for the butterflies

Except for the king, 

Resting peacefully on the ground. 

His wings flap once, and then falter

And finally stop, 

A sorrowful end to a true king of the insect world. 

Author's Note

Information and picture taken from Wikipedia
Note that no monarch butterfly can make the whole round trip of its migration, as the length of the trip is longer that their own life span.

Reviews

[nono]

Very nice and well very poetic. I love it beautifully written and full of detail

[NoneOfYourBusiness akaK..]

what a beautiful and majestic poetic~ monarchs are truly a fascinating species~ you've captured so much of their cycle stunningly in this poem~

[Drake]

Magnificent work.

[Desert Dreamer]

Amazing emotional poem. I like it that you put the scientific name of the buttefly below the title. Butterflies are truly wonderful creatures. Thank you for sharing your poem about this journey.

[Tara♥Undefined&h..]

beautiful piece

[ScarlettTheDreamer]

A beautiful poem. Who knew that such a beautiful creature had such a sad end. Good.