Often writing can explore a single image or concept and expand it into a philosophical idea.
We think of most prose as including a sort of beginning, middle and end but sometimes it’s freeing just to explore an individual idea about larger concepts. Today’s writing is A BODY OF MEMORY, a short, philosophical piece about time and transformation.
English: A monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) holds onto its pupa case. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Circles and circles. The butterfly holds the key to time with its tiny, delicate wings. Its black body holds the secrets of transformation. As it flutters by from place to place, the world around it quietened, the creature’s past is always with it. The caterpillar. it was stretched from one place to another, in a motion from pillar to pillar, from green to green until it sat up one day and stretched out to touch the open air.
Inside its cocoon it undertook a metamorphosis, its body changing with time, shut off from the world outside in its secret pocket. How like the butterfly we are? We shift and change, ending as a winged angel, coloured patterns matching from one to the other. Inside though, the memory of that plump green caterpillar that morphed in its hidden space, that creature that time transformed as it wished to, sculpting it as we wished. We are all like that creature, a product of time, a product of nature and yet no single caterpillar is identical to the next.
Copyright (C) bardicblogger / a thinker never sleeps / Teri Montague 2012. All rights reserved.
bardicblogger 
Dear Teri Montague, The Bardicblogger,
On my latest blogpost, I gave you the Liebster Blog Award. Yours is one of my five favorite blogs. You have the choice of passing this award on to five of your favorite blogs are doing nothing. I know that sometimes deadlines, life, and other things might get in the way, even though you might want to accept it. It’s okay either way. I just wanted you to know that I really enjoy reading your blog.
Do something fun!
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards
Thank you very much Joan. I’ve just seen your comment and want to say again that I’m very honoured. I will certainly try to pass the award on though it may have to wait a couple of days.
Thanks again. 🙂
Teri Montague
Hi Teri,
I found your blog because Joan posted a link in her post about the Liebster Award. I can see why she gave it to you. I love this post about the butterfly. It happened to be posted on my birthday. I like it especially because when I went through a tough time in my life I adopted the Monarch butterfly as my personal logo. I so admire these butterflies. They are not only beautiful, but they are tough. They migrate like birds, and that time component you write about guides generations along a path to Mexico and back. It is an astonishment to those of us whose memories don’t seem to last from the table to the kitchen sink. Loved this post.
Thank you very much! I didn’t see the Liebster Award post yet so I am very pleased you mentioned it. Thanks for you wonderful comments. I too am recovering from a particularly tough time in my life so I’m glad for you that you got something from it.
P.S Happy Belated Birthday.