Dog And Butterfly
The dog and the butterfly.
A song by Heart was my reply.
But, look again with your inner eye.
See the dog chase the butterfly.
See the dog lie down to rest.
See the butterfly land on his nose in jest.
The dog looks cross-eyed at this sight.
And then the butterfly takes flight.
The dog barks, tail wagging in joy.
The butterfly is more than just a toy.
The dog would never harm the delicate thing.
He wouldn’t even touch it’s pretty wing.
He just enjoys chasing it around.
A better friend would be hard found.
Then I thought of you and I.
I’m like that dog cause you do fly.
You flutter around here and there.
I am chasing you everywhere.
The bond between the dog and butterfly
may be stronger than between you and I.
But, despite it all I enjoy the chase.
I love to look upon your lovely face.
I understand the dog much better now.
I wag my imaginary tail and say bow-wow.
You tell me I am in a world of my own.
I think you may be right as I call on the phone.
I ask you what your up to today.
Then the chase is on it’s way.——————-R. W. Johnson—-(2012)
That’s a lovely and heartfelt poem. It beautifully captures the playful and gentle relationship between the dog and the butterfly and draws a parallel to a similar relationship between two people. The imagery and sentiment evoke a sense of joy and affection.
It reminds me of the time I was teaching my young dog Buster to run alongside the bicycle I was riding. He was distracted by a flittering butterfly, and chased it right in front of my moving bicycle wheel. He was unharmed in the incident, but it scared him. He never ventured even close to the wheel after that.
Sorry about your dog, Buster. But, you really showed great insight into this poem. It makes me feel good to know my poems are so greatly appreciated. —-R. W. Johnson