This Wasn’t What I Thought – a poem by M.J. Iuppa

This Wasn’t What I Thought

Not orange leaves, but wings
called wanderer—black-veined brown
found resting  on winter’s lawn.

Perfectly still— this monarch blends
in. No harm done, in spite of its weight;
its barbed feet anchored to sand.

Left untouched, meaning
this wasn’t what I thought—
that I have never truly understood

how insignificant death is until it happens.

M.J. Iuppa’s fourth poetry collection is This Thirst (Kelsay Books, 2017).For the past 31 years, she has lived on a small farm near the shores of Lake Ontario. Check out her blog: mjiuppa.blogspot.com for her musings on writing, sustainability & life’s stew.