—HELLO LAMPOST, WHAT’CHA KNOWIN’?

 

 

Bedtime Stories

  

I am trying to tell my daughter 

there were once things called 

butterflies—

insects light as a whisper 

as fragile and brilliant as 

a piece of painted rice paper 

startling and sacred 

how they barely outlived the bees 

and ladybugs decorated on her backpack

that they would flutter more than fly 

though some called Monarchs 

traveled 3,000 miles to Mexico each year 

stopping who-knows-where along the way

      —when she lightly thumps my chest 

with her little girl fist

amused and yelling from the bed

 Mom! Dad’s making up stories about

strange creatures again!