#21-Butterfly Poem

A caterpillar crawls,

Along a leaf of green,

Slowly, calmly, happily,

Feeling utterly serene.

Such a blissful existence,

So happy and content,

Just a nibble and a munch,

A day pleasantly spent.

As time goes on,

It starts to grow,

Bigger and fatter

And before you know,

It spins a cocoon,

A place where it will rest,

But what lies in store soon,

Will be its biggest test!

It climbs into that cocoon,

And as an observer, you’d never know,

That inside much is going on,

Although it doesn’t show.

The caterpillar is changing,

Each & every day,

Although it may seem dead,

It really is not that way!

Wings are now forming,

So one day, it can fly,

Letting it soar to great heights,

In the open expanse of sky.

One day, it feels ready,

To come out & be free,

But here comes the test to determine

How strong is our butterfly, really?

It pushes & pushes,

Trying to get out,

But feels stuck,

And starts to doubt.

“Did I go through this whole process,

To end up over here?

Why all that work?!

It really seems unfair!”

If only it would realize,

That by pushing each time anew,

It is strengthening its muscles,

So it can soar in the sky of blue!

“Don’t give up, little caterpillar,

For soon you shall see,

You’ll no longer be that old caterpillar,

But something really pretty!

A gorgeous butterfly,

Soaring wide & far,

It’s because you pushed,

And never gave up,

That you are who you are!

Yes, it was difficult,

But you powered through,

You now inspire us,

Indeed, we learn from you!"

We are like this caterpillar,

Who started out so small,

We all began as babies,

Who once could only crawl.

Going through our childhood,

So happy & carefree,

We didn’t know what He had in store,

The greater picture He could see.

So that we could develop,

Challenges He designed,

Although it now may seem unfair,

Our greater good He has in mind.

So we begin to struggle,

And life may get so tough,

But He knows that going through this journey,

Is what will make us into real stuff!

Though it may be hard,

And we may feel alone,

Through this challenge

One day,

Our greatness will be shown!

We are strengthening our muscles,

And though others may not see,

We are metamorphosing, growing,

Not outside but internally!

This struggle muscle gives us,

The power to fly & soar,

To places that we could’ve never reached,

Previously before.

So, although things may be hard,

Never stop to try,

One day, you won’t be a caterpillar,

But a beautiful butterfly!

*When a caterpillar is in its cocoon, from the outside, nothing seems to be happening. However, inside, wings are forming along the caterpillar. But these wings are very brittle, & can’t support the butterfly. It is only through the butterfly pushing & pushing on its way out of its cocoon that its wings harden, enabling it to fly. Sometimes, we may feel trapped in our “cocoon,” our circumstances, & can begin questioning ourselves, “Will I make it through?” But don’t despair & give up! Keep pushing! Through this very challenge, you are growing wings. One day, you will be out of this cocoon, but you can only fly because you pushed!