Love Poem: The Magpie and the Butterfly, a Terzanelle
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Written by: Sharon Smith

The Magpie and the Butterfly, a Terzanelle

I look out upon a lonely Magpie,
I feel a great stirring deep in my heart,
As he gracefully glides across the sky.

He’s always searching for his other part,
The Butterfly to whom he gave his soul,
I feel a great stirring deep in my heart.

But he does not know that he is still whole,
Even when apart she is still with him,
The Butterfly to whom he gave his soul.

For that’s what love means, it is no whim,
Giving yourself wholly to another,
Even when apart she is still with him.

And the Butterfly is with her lover,
Knowing the greatest gift that one can give,
Giving yourself wholly to another.

My heart is yours for as long as I live,
I look out upon a lonely Magpie,
Knowing the greatest gift that one can give,
As he gracefully glides across the sky.


*Decoding: reading the first line of each stanza  forms a message to my “Magpie” from his “Butterfly” (as does the last ;) )