Eden’s Poetry
THE BUTTERFLY IS THE DEAD SAYING HELLO
BY EDEN ELLIOT
They say a butterfly is the dead
Saying hello
They say the butterfly is the dead
Visiting the living
I saw a butterfly the other day
In the middle of winter
Maybe it was my imagination
Maybe it was you, the dead,
Showing signs of a life gone by
Showing signs of haunting me and
I thought the butterfly was the dead
Haunting the living.
But then I thought of my heart,
Which is messed up, the doctors say,
Because of starvatio n
Because of other things too
Things that were done to me.
And then I thought of my heart,
The other one, which isn’t muscle, but part of my soul
Which was also starved
Which is also messed up.
Then I thought of my heart which is messed up
All of it, because of you.
But I survived.
And I intend to keep doing so.
So now I don’t think the butterfly is
The dead coming to haunt the living.
Now I just think it’s proof that being buried
Is not the same as being dead.
You can still come alive, unexpectedly, quietly, gloriously,
Even out of what feels like a tomb.
Even in the middle of winter.