Once a seed so free, now a towering tree
No more than swaying in the young summer’s breeze.
It’s days as a seedling are long, long gone
Now its roots grab nature’s blessing, its leaves sing her song.
But its leaves aren’t just for singing and feeding, no, there’s something else going on.

Among its third highest branch, around quarter til noon,
a beautiful butterfly bursts from its cocoon.
It knows it’s pretty, it appreciates its flying ability
But, despite its wings of beauty and its newfound mobility,
It misses the days of munching on the leaves of the tree so carelessly

As I watch the butterfly drift far out of sight,
Panic sets in when I realize something’s not right.
Once I’d played outdoors for hours, but now no longer in the mood
I looked around frantically until I found that little dude
He whines as he leans against the old tree’s roots… “Daddy, I want food.”