Butterfly Dreams

ABCBCA Each day when morning light would break a tortoise rushed, (well…tried) to his favorite sitting spot in all the meadow-wide haunted by a single thought tormented by a lonely ache. The tortoise loved a meadowlark that perched a weathered stump and sang at each sun’s rising. The music caused his heart to jump and chased away ‘bout everything including each night’s dark. In sparkling meadows all abloom she’d whistle and she’d preen. The tortoise scarce believed his eyes but grass looked deeper green and bluer seemed the morning skies as heaven morphed to match her plume. And for her part, the meadowlark loved the tortoise too who always brought her wild flowers but what more could they do? Together they’d spend daylight hours then separate at dark. In the field the butterflies took notice of the two. So when the day returned to night they dreamt up what to do. Oh, what they did was quite a sight, but none would see until sunrise. The tortoise woke and heaved a sigh then plodded on his way feeling slower than before He sensed perhaps today would be a little different, than before He felt it, but knew not why. As the light of day unfurled a cheerful birdsong rang out clearer. Slowly, a bird-sized cabin crept and plodded ever nearer to a weathered stump where wept the happiest lark in all the world. 4/7/17