Can you blame the butterfly for fluttering?
For being butterfly?
Can you charge it for the hurricanes?
In Puerto Rico the butterflies have drowned.
In Houston all the pupae have been flushed to sea.
Is weather to be blamed on God?
Is the reason for our flood our sins or
just complexity of turbulence?
Or are there butterflies to blame?
Maybe destiny sounds better
than being held at ransom to the random acts
of butterflies. Still
I marvel at the way a chrysalis is opened
for unfurling of another butterfly —
another hurricane? a tornado or the hail?
or maybe just a drowning blood grape sun
in the silence of the sea.
Hurricane at the sea by Ivan Aivazovsky
Today I host a prompt on Physics at toads on Chaos theory. The butterfly effect is one very famous metaphor for a chaotic or highly complex system, where a very small cause have huge consequences. I will also link to poetry pantry tomorrow morning.
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September 30, 2017
“or maybe just a drowning blood grape sun
in the silence of the sea”
Good golly, that’s gorgeous. In all my days, I don’t think I’ve imagined up a purple sun. But you’d better believe I will now! Not drowning, but high(hat) and center.
I think a purple sun would be perfect…
Big time.
When it comes to these hurricanes, I get more the Sorceror’s Apprentice than butterflies — human fritzing with orders beyond our understanding. Yet there is such a stillness and beauty here: A respect for awe. Amen, and thanks for the challenge.
Yes there is that too… and now I feel that I want the sorcerer back putting it all to order again.
I guess we will never know. How complex is the system of this world we live in?
What knock-on effect of my response to your words? Will the butterfly spread its wings or never emerge for its brief moment of existence?
I think the actions of humankind will precipitate the storm…
Anna :o]
You have hung some stunning images from a powerful ruminative hypothetical … the effective is pretty awesome.
Wonderful imagery, Bjorn. Love your lines, “…Maybe destiny sounds better / than being held at ransom to the random acts / of butterflies…”
Really very sad about the butterflies. I hadn’t heard that butterflies drowned in Puerto Rico, though as I think about it it does not surprise me. I am sad about the pupae flushed out to sea too. So very sad. It seems we are experiencing a lot of disasters this season…so much loss.
I have to imagine that the butterflies would be hurt. I think they will be back again,
Those closing lines are stunning, Bjorn. I am sad about the butterflies too – and all the domestic and wild animals, terrified and suffering, or dead, because of the disasters.
Who can explain the hurricanes or any of the massive natural disasters that do occur? Butterfly or destiny, we will never know the real answer. Your poem does make me wonder though
Who can explain the hurricanes or any of the massive natural disasters that do occur? Butterfly or destiny, we will never know the real answer. Your poem does make me wonder though
They will soar once again, Bjorn. Love the images here. At some point I thought butterflies could be a metaphor for hurricanes.
My nephew is collecting catterpillars and keeping it until they turn into butterflies and release them after.
Like a true scientist, your poems asks difficult questions, Bjorn! The final lines are stunning:
‘…Still
I marvel at the way a chrysalis is opened
for unfurling of another butterfly —
another hurricane? a tornado or the hail?
or maybe just a drowning blood grape sun
in the silence of the sea.’
“or maybe just a drowning blood grape sun in the silence of the sea”.. goodness such powerful imagery!
“Never put all your eggs in one basket” The individual is not important but the whole company of a species is so each needs to spread out so that some at least will survive any catastrophe. I wonder if that is why they are thinking of settling on Mars!
Oh my what an intelligent poem. Love how you use butterflies in your piece here. It provides a new light to them. Good work!
I see the butterflies more as victims. They are like the canaries in the mine of the hurricanes. Thanks for giving me much to think about.
Is this piece of poetry, I feel the butterflies are souls flying in different directions on the wings of chaos. A reminder that each person is a beautiful specimen.
I love the concept of the butterfly effect. Now, off to send a good thought into the universe, said she!
It’s definitely the fault of the foot and the hand that go around stepping on wings, smacking good things… pretending not just that it didn’t happen, but that if it did it had nothing to do with them. Yep, the foot and hand are to blame.
P.S. I finished Stoner in one sitting, mostly because I wanted to see if certain character would become less assholic. Alas, by the time I got to the end, all I discovered was that I really wanted to strangle them out of the story. It was a fantastic read, one I shall repeat in the future. Thanks so much for the recommendation.
Thank you… what i liked the best with Stoner was that somehow his enemies couldn’t really touch him… his love for books made him more or less immune to the sorrows… (I will read it again too)
Yes! I love that he lived as himself (even if it didn’t always offer the best result). He was always himself.
It is no surprise that some refer to life as the Great Mystery. The sound of infinite butterfly wings flapping.
This is a wonderful connection. Perhaps there is no blame to be laid? Might as well blame those fluttery butterflies. Perhaps butterflies appear at the end of something….or the end of everything? We need real leadership now, and what we have is an evil clown…is he an orange butterfly?
Like this take on chaos theory… the broad question and the reference to current events.. great stuff!!
In Puerto Rico the butterflies have drowned.
In Houston all the pupae have been flushed to sea.
So sad, so true… I think blame lies closer to earth than heaven, and butterflies will be the early victims.
(a.k.a. Miranda)
Very interesting idea and well presented.
I love those closing lines. So vivid.
Ah, questions….. Will we ever know the answers?
Some very imaginative lines and images….to blame the butterfly we might as well just blame destiny….when mortals refuse to take ownership for their actions, God’s will is frequently used. I think God may want an accounting soon from us….or maybe is is getting that now…it has been very sad to see such destruction.
I like the questions you ask. Nature has few answers, it seems, except that chaos is part of it.
This is genius to think of the cause and ‘ butterfly’ effect in this way.
A very beautiful poem, regardless.
Yes. I’m also a little freaked out. Must be the season of transformation and deja vu!!
The silence of the sea, says so much, we need to e sensitive, think.b
Hurricanes and Flood waters those are some horiffic emergences from the chrysallis
Have a Good Monday
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I do like to think that butterflies have more power than we can possibly imagine. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if their fluttering could undo some of the damage we humans have done to the planet?
I think they can or the other way around.
That last butterfly…flapped it’s wings and POOF!