it feels fragile there,
on a leaf,
waiting for your wings to dry.
it feels fragile being outside of the boxes of mind.
it feels fragile leaving the tightly woven cocoon.

i feel it too.

each of us taking courageous leaps of faith,
leaving behind the dark warmth of cocooning,
to find the light.

each of us on our little leaves,
buffeted by the wind,
concentrating so hard on:
hold on hold on hold on.
each of us feeling
alone and small
and a teensy bit broken.

i feel it too.

but what happens if we stop looking at our grasping feet?
what happens if the butterfly looks around?

it will see that its shaking leaf is attached to a twig.
that twig forms part of a tree.
and that tree – that whole damn tree is covered with leaves.
and on each trembling leaf is a butterfly.

imagine that.
a whole tree of butterflies around you.
all feeling a little bit courageous,
a little bit unsure,
and a little bit just like you.

just waiting to take flight.

a whole tree of butterflies.