Along Sidewalks

words float away
from ears that can hold them,
as our steps move along sidewalks.
Where have we been,
is a question a wildflower
cannot answer.
A caterpillar
might want to speak,
or be a bird
instead of a meal.
We may want beauty
at our destinations.
The caterpillar
will fly gloriously,
but not
as what may be expected.
Changes we greet,
can wrap us up in wonder,
but never turn us into a butterfly.

June 2023
M. Flannery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An unusual for me, this poem has gone through 5 drafts, each with numerous changes. I have yet to figure out why I don’t like to edit my poems. But, I am trying to break that bad habit by questioning what sense my words make and/or if they are meant to.
Not meant to is something I learned from reading Ferlinghetti in the 1960s. I read one of his poems, and immediately was stunned by what sense the poem made to my brain as my heart embraced it right away. I think that is a unique experience many folks have with poetry. It is a just stop there to let the words sink in where they are meant to be for the reader.

Note, I finally found how to single space by holding down the Shift Key when pressing the Enter Key.