May 14, 2020

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Dear J,

Two weeks ago 

my son and I let five butterflies

go free in the garden

their wings slate

and gray and gravel

I thought perhaps by

some ordinary miracle

they had been transformed

into moths, though hours later

their wings became red

and orange and onyx.

And today one flew

back into our house and landed

on the baby’s hairless head

“she’s back!” My son screamed

with a joy that shook me.

I stood there disoriented

and saw my grandmother’s body

floating for a minute through

the living room. And no

not the creature with wings but

a light that pulled me forward

into the next sunrise,

another ordinary miracle.