Aislyn's Truth

What a ten-year-old knows:
a moth turning into a butterfly -
but you see, she can't understand
metamorphosis yet. She says

the butterfly came from colored
pieces of tissue paper
found on the road – they just flew
away. But wait,

she says, better yet -

they landed on her shoulder,
big as a parent's hand, and she
walked with it through the forest
and taught it language and song,

but wait, she says, better yet -

when the butterfly flew away
it taught song to all the birds
so the noise you hear while
walking in the woods
is her doing.

We say,
It came from a moth, honey.

And she holds her hand to her
ear like a seashell and sighs,
                 Just listen; can't you see the colors?
                 Can't you hear the music?