Perception is key

I walked up to you, talking about butterflies.
How they formed from the ugly
and morphed into a creature we could only dream of.

You said something along the lines of how
butterflies can be beautiful to me,
but the credence of it is more complicated than that.

I tilted my head and took a step back, confused.
Butterflies had always been beautiful.
Wasn’t that what schools and society taught us?

You walked over and pointed to a moth.
The brown, crude lines engulfed its wings.
You said, Breathtaking, isn’t it? with a smile.

What are you talking about? I asked.
Butterflies are colorful,
and moths are plain, old moths. Only one has beauty.

You laugh. It’s all about perception, bambina.
A butterfly may be beautiful to you,
but I will always look out for a moth or two.

Copyright © Robin LeeAnn