Little ray of sunshine, how sweet your flitting ways!
Orange Butterfly
Isn’t it charming, cute and quaint
That a butterfly made up in bright orange paint
Can masquerade thus as a garden saint
And be seen as a ray of the dancing sun
And a light, fleeting dash of enticing fun,
When its finely-veined system in truth is run
On a fuel of venom cold with spite—
It would far rather sink a great poisonous bite
In your pulsing carotid some murderous night—
How pretty, how dainty, how full of cheer
The butterfly’s presence makes it here,
At least behind all that orange veneer
The Lady was a Tiger!
Delicious Deviation
A scurrilous, scandalous sinner
Invited him one night for dinner;
He learned that her wish
Was, he’d be the main dish,
Though before he knew that,
He was in her.
They were drawn to his charisma like, well, moths to a flame . . .
The Ballad of Professor Montague
Professor Montague, a moth (specifically, Cecropia),
was glamorously smooth and frothy, ruling that Utopia,
his professorship at Flares, where tender butterflies and moths,
with innocent and awestruck stares, had visions wild as Visigoths,
fixed on him, rapt, their compound eyes, absorbing, drinking deeply
(through curled probosces and their brains) this wisdom daily, weekly–
they soaked it up–he’d flit about, and with his brilliance all were thrilled,
until one day he was attracted to the classroom lamp . . . and killed.
Art-Colored Glasses 
Oh great! Now I have to worry about butterfly bloodsuckers now 😉 and moths have always scared me. I could say something else about the middle poem but I shall keep my ribald interpretations to myself 😉
I figured I should leave it vaguely worded enough so that innocents could read it as related to things culinary and gustatory and the rest of us can think what we please! 😉
Yeah, I think moths are creepy!!
Can’t say I feel too sorry for Prof Montague as his companions have eaten one too many of my jumpers (sweaters). I laughed out loud at Delicious Deviation, thanks for that.
Love to make you laugh when I can. 🙂 As you know from my recent darning episode, I have my own reasons for a grudge against the professor’s race!
Blood sucking butterflies? Really? More likely crafty, camouflaged bats. See? Crafty.
If you’re invited to dinner by any tiger other than Tony, you deserve whatever you get.
Moths. Icarus. If you’re smart enough to have wings, you should know better.
By the way, as spell-binding as these photos are, that tiger is spectacular, Kathryn. Simply beautiful!
It’s possible the butterfly is merely venomous and leaves the blood-sucking to vampires, which despite their deceptive tininess are as you say very crafty!
Moths clearly didn’t get wings in reward for their being geniuses. No offense to that race, but if your primary forms of entertainment are bashing headlong into windowpanes and self-immolation, it’s just a mercy you have a naturally short life-span I guess.
Yes, tigers’ invitations are notoriously iffy. They can be so fickle in their affections. But if the tiger in this instance was as gorgeous as the cat I got to photograph, Mr Victim can hardly be blamed for not thinking so clearly, can he! I’m glad you like the photo. I was so delighted that a pair of spectacular cats posed for me awhile that day. Knockouts.
I see the Lady Tiger was of the man eating kind 😉
🙂 No matter how you read it, you are precisely right!!
I had a feeling 😉
Oh my! What fun those are!
As you well know, animals are amazingly full of interesting stories just like us two-legged types, so I like to throw in a few now and again. I’m glad you enjoyed these!
I am going to come back to this and really read it tomorrow. After a long, long day, I have about 30 emails I still need to respond to and my mind is elsewhere. I really like to give your words my full attention, you know? 😉
How on earth do you get ever so close to take photos like these? Especially that moth.. I’m afraid I’m in the “icky” camp and had to scroll fast over that one. Isn’t that silly of me?? To be afraid of a photo!! The rhythm scheme in Delicious Deviation is just perfect… you can almost feel her mouth snap shut!!
The butterfly was just a bit of luck after I followed it around until it apparently got bored with evading me. The moth was easy because I found it dead on my windowsill. Peacefully posed and not missing any major parts. Also un-scorched, so evidently it was no Professor Montague!
I like all three but my favourite is Delicious Deviation – very clever.
Thank you, Dennis!
Simply and thoroughly fan-tas-tic! Every squirmy word, every patterned image, wonder-full! Loved this Kathryn!
The better to entertain you with, my dear! So happy it worked. 🙂
Kathryn!
Very beautiful butterfly! I love your photos!
I only photo I have caterpillars, look! Very interesting!
Thank you so very much, dear friend! I *love* your photos of the moth and caterpillars–they are both beautiful and strange. I find insects truly fascinating, like tiny little works of art! Thank you for sharing them!
Love,
Kathryn
Things are not always as they may seem
Skim milk masquerades as cream
. . . and should it usurp in my tea,
I am afraid I’ll have to scream! 😉
I’m back! And after savoring every word, I have come to enjoy your slightly macabre side as well. You are a many faceted writer, Miss Kathryn and I loves you for it!
Now, excuse me while I run from the butterfly waiting to stab me in the carotid!
Best of all if you can run *like* a butterfly, like one of our nephews used to do when he was a toddler, flapping his hands as he went and running in a decidedly drunken zigzag all the way. 🙂 Not only did he evade all bloodsucking butterflies, but he could hold bees in his hand and not get stung (we called him the Bug Whisperer). 😀
I love that tiger poem, its funny!
And I won’t say whether it’s true or not!! 😉
What an amazing and creative post… I loved your poems, Thank you dear Kathryn, with my love, nia
I’m always glad you enjoy my poems, my dear Nia! 🙂
Poisonous butterflies!
all that beauty hiding venom..
breath taking photography Kathyrine
If only I could take photos as fabulous as yours! But at least these creatures posed pretty nicely for me, so I couldn’t go too far wrong. Thanks for stopping by, dear Sawsan! 🙂