4/6/11

The Butterfly Effect
by Jacob Kreutzer


A butterfly in Maine once flapped its wings
and then you found me.
Maybe I should travel to Maine, find that creature
of exquisite beauty and simple purity,
and thank it for the course it decided.
Maybe I should reward it
for the joy it’s caused me
with whatever it is
that butterflies grow old seeking.
Maybe I should praise that mechanism of fate
for letting me come to know you.

Maybe.

Or maybe I should ignore that butterfly
because deep down I understand
that our meeting wasn’t set in motion
years ago by the fragility of a wing, but
by the strength of an invisible hand
that pushed us towards a goal
that we’ve only just begun to realize.


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