Today, I set a butterfly free.
 
Beauty had flown into the darkness
Attracted by an electric light bulb –
False light had been a source of deceit
And he, fluttering free, had been trapped
In the cavern of the basement, black.
 
I could see him rise and fall, desperately -
Hoping to find life in the light.
Swirling around the bulb, with its unnatural and dangerous heat,
He flew.
 
Everything was in darkness, except for the short range of poor light from the bulb
And there was no way out –
No flicker of hope; no warmth from the light; no way to be free.
 
  ********************************
 
One by one, I opened the doors which led to real light
And he followed, for he knew true from false; life from death.
For true light beams, purely and brightly and warmly
Radiating from the heavens.
 
He was free.
Even though his life on earth would be short
He was free to breathe the fresh mountain air; find sustenance and life
From nature’s store and enjoy all that it had to give:
 
Priceless gifts: true freedom in the light; life from life