At a Butterfly Exhibit

By Leslie Dianne

At the butterfly exhibit
most of you dizzy dance
whirling in wonder
for the amazement of the crowd
some of you are shy
and motionless 
hiding behind the canopy 
of your wings 
heads bowed
legs folded 
in public prayer
all of you are vain
your million scales 
reflecting your scarlet, 
tan and indigo splendor, 
bodies contracting 
wings figure eighting 
and sending  
tiny air kisses
to your possible mates
adonis blue, brown argus, 
painted lady and isabella tiger
you are all royalty of 
the insect class
mourning the loss of your 
diminishing habitats
clinging to your rainbows
of Iridescent beauty  
that some divine creator 
threw onto your bodies
turning you into 
magnificent   
miniature
moments of art 

Leslie Dianne is a playwright, poet, novelist, screenwriter and performer whose work has been acclaimed internationally at the Harrogate Fringe Festival in Great Britain, The International Arts Festival in Tuscany, Italy, The Teatro Lirico in Milan, Italy and at La Mama, ETC in NYC.  Her stage plays have been produced in NYC at The American Theater of Actors, The Raw Space, The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater and The Lamb’s Theater, and at Theater Festivals in Texas and Indiana. She holds a BA in French Literature from CUNY and her poetry appears in The Wild Word, Sparks of Calliope, The Elevation Review,  Quaranzine, The Dillydoun Review,  Line Rider Press, Flashes and elsewhere.  Her writing was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best Of The Net.