This month of February has been rich for my writing life. I’m writing at least one poem a day along with other writers in Laura Shovan’s 10th Annual February Project on Facebook. The theme this year is Time. Susan Brisson posted a prompt that began like this: “Tiny moments in time, brief exchanges with nature, split seconds of seeing something so beautiful, as fast as the flash of your camera or the time it takes for your thoughts to travel from your eyes to your brain. Have you ever had such a moment? Not a life changing moment but a mood changing moment.”
I immediately thought of releasing monarchs. I’ve been raising monarchs in my kitchen since Christmas. We’ve had a few freezes, so I collected them from my own garden as well as a school garden. I had around 20 caterpillars that successfully made 11 chrysalises. Of those 11, 8 have eclosed into beautiful butterflies. They’ve all been males. They have to be released in temperatures above 50 degrees.
One afternoon last week I released two of them onto outdoor plants. When I checked the next morning, they were still there and completely still. One was even flat on the ground. I brought them back into the enclosure in my kitchen. After warming up, they actually revived, but getting them to let go and fly took a bit of coaxing.
Release
The male monarch
emerged whole
and beautifully designed,
contrast of orange and black wings.On the day of release
I gently placed my finger near his tiny legs.
He held me so tight my skin tingled.
We walked together.I tried to coax him to fly,
but he clung, walking gingerly up my arm. Not ready
to let go.
Not ready
to fly.I held him on my shoulder like a baby.
Then, as a mother knows best,
laid him down
and let him go.He flew away.
Margaret Simon, draft
I remember his touch.
It’s time to sign up for the Kidlit Progressive Poem for National Poetry Month. The sign up post is here.
Reflections on the Teche 
I think the picture is my favorite part of this post, but it’s followed closely by the image of you coaxing chilly butterflies. I love that you do this, Margaret.
So beautiful—the story and the poem. Your intimate relationship with the butterfly is exquisite and so relatable. I name our parsley-munching swallowtail caterpillars each spring, but have yet to see one stay on our balcony long enough to form a chrysalis.
I love that there are writing spaces for teachers all over the place, and ways to make poems … thanks for the butterfly poem and pic, a reminder that there is resilience even in a complicated world.
Kevin
Margaret, I have enjoyed watching your journey being a monarch mom on your blog and FB. I love your photo. Your poem is a beautiful tribute and keepsake of your experience. Love the sensory details you’ve included. Through your whole experience and in your poem, I feel your love for monarchs. This line is one of my favorite lines “I held him on my shoulder like a baby.” Thank you for sharing your post, poem, passion, and inspiration.
Margaret, this takes my breath away. You are clearly a nurturer to the monarchs that you love so dearly. I’m in San Antonio and saw a monarch space and thought of you instantly.
I love your story and your poem. You are so lucky to have monarchs in your kitchen. Your descriptive words reminded of the joy I felt when we released our butterflies at school. Thank you.
Margaret, I read your poem on FB and liked the ending very much. Your choice of wording – beautiful. I was expecially touched by the photo and
these lines: I held him on my shoulder like a baby
Then as a mother knows best
I’m glad you are enjoying the activity of raising monarchs Margaret. As a monarch conservationist (this has been the bulk of my work as an environmental educator), I know how addicting it can be! I’ve done it every summer since 2003 (almost twenty years) and have taught countless community members how to do it. I once had a monarch sit still in a plum tree overnight in the fall, not moving until the sun warmed him the next morning. It was then that I found information on the Monarch Watch website that 60 degrees is really the minimum temperature required for flying. Less than that, they often do not fly off. If we have a cool or windy day here in the fall (when I tag and release), I keep them in a container with nectar sources until it warms up. It might be why he was reluctant to fly. I would highly suggest Monarch Watch or Monarch Joint Venture or Journey North as reputable sources of monarch rearing information. They are all wonderful resources. Love your poem. Thank you for your work.
I do know those resources and use them often. I think the temp was between 50 and 60 but it dropped during the night. I have two chrysalises that have not eclosed and I think it’s passed the time that they should have. Do I assume there is something wrong and let them go?
Yes, if the chyrsalis have passed their time of expected eclosure by several days, I usually try to get rid of them before they dissolve or hatch a tachnid fly larva. Glad you know of the resources. I am sorry if I was telling you something you already knew.
The photo and the poem are gorgeous, Margaret. I love this focus on time – it beckons one to spend it mindfully.