Fall of a butterfly

From the top of a tree
   a butterfly fell
    in a spiral, soft and dead

It was mostly black
   with a dash of white
     and a tiny spot of red

A brahminy kite
   with its watchful eye
     circled overhead

The sky was deep
   and it was blue
     holding all that's ever been said

The banana leaves
   moved in the breeze
     beside the bamboo shed

The cat went by
   on the garden wall
     careful with its tread

It was all so quiet
   and things went on
     but the butterfly that was dead.


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Salil Chaturvedi
salilwheels@gmail.com