LesleyScoble.com

Listen

Play the audio and listen to the sound of nature in a sunny garden while the grass bends to a gentle breeze. Listen to the coo of a wood pigeon, the trilling of small birds (ignore the one that sounds like a squeaky gate needing a drop of oil) and the silent flutter of the butterfly… Watch the video… Read the poem at a slow and tranquil pace. Sway with the breeze, and the St Anne’s Lace and grasses… nice and sl-ow. Meditate (or not).

Oh, Graceful Wanderer

Flutter by 
butterfly 
in hues of reds, browns, 
greens and blues. 
yellow, purple, 
white and orange tips 

Oh, graceful wanderer 
Through meadows and gardens you dance 
A chromatic symphony in the air of delicate artistry 
perchance 
to land upon a flower and drink the pollen wine; 
Now is the lapidary’s happy hour
 (I wish this hour were mine) 

Reds like flames in wild sunsets 
Blues of cobalt and cerulean 
flit in vibrant vortices
hazed in competition 
with the sky.
Yellows, browns and black, flutter by
with earthy fritillary shimmers that confuse and tease the eye 

With every delicate movement of your wing, 
The coldest wind will sigh 
and sweeten to a softer breeze 
And sing the gentlest tune upon the stave for which you fly 

The grass and Queen Anne’s Lace 
Bow before your grace

 I stand still with bated breath as the white butterfly 
flutters by 
looking for a place to rest 
I feel its breath upon my cheek 
(best thing that’s happened to me all week) 
My heart is a flutter when the reflector of all colours lands upon my breast 

The graceful wanderer takes the air once more 
I watch him go; I watch him fly 
The bated wings of the butterfly lift upon the air 
The grasses and St Anne’s lace waving with the wind so fair, 
susurrate goodbye 
The butterfly weaves among the whispers of the meadow
 and leaves me to remember 
this
He left me with a kiss 

Lesley Scoble, June 2023

---

NOTES
Pollen wine
The pollen wine in my poem is drunk only by a select breed of butterfly. Most butterflies prefer to dine on nectar. They will, however, sup pollen as a protein desert.

Queen Anne’s Lace
Queen Anne’s Lace (also known as cow parsley and wild carrot (the wild ancestor of our cultivated carrot)is a wild flower with umbrellas of white delicate little flowers that resemble lacework (hence its common name). There is a distinct dot of red at the centre. According to folklore, this is the blood of Queen Anne. 
The queen challenged her Ladies-in-Waiting to create lace as delicate as the flower. Queen Anne pricked her finger while lace-making.
[Queen Anne, reigning Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland 1702-1714] 

For #theWildness Challenge Day 6. Write a poem inspired by the vibrant colours and patterns of a butterfly’s wings. Thank you Paul, THE WOMBELL RAINBOW for the inspiration.

For #30DaysWild The Wildlife Trusts 🌱

I dedicate this poem to my lifelong friend, Hiro Tagami and his wondrous butterflies. 🦋

---

Lesley lives in the City of London Square Mile. An artist, actor and sculptor (her first ceramic sculpture won the V&A inspired by… Award). Scenic artist & book illustrator, playwright, (her musical play, Rapscallion performed in schools); TV dancer; Animator and illustrator for TV production. Set up Pinecone Studios Ltd and IIMSI Ltd drama and filmmaking workshops in London – producing award-winning films made by children.