741 | BUTTERFLY’S FLUTTER – SHALINI YADAV, INDIA

Butterfly’s Flutter

In that moment of loneliness

With helplessness subdued

Pride wounded

And heart-rendered

One seeks to unshackle

The restraints of a vile world

But suddenly hears deep inside

A flutter

Of a butterfly full of color,

Ready for flight in the cerulean

An inner voice

Of one full of hope

Opening a path to a ride in the cosmos

A whisper

Soft and soothing

—Listen! —

To fly over the hurdles of life.

Shalini Yadav, India

Translation by the author and Stanley Barkan