On Display

April 21, 2026

On Display

This image is from Alexander Mass on Pexels.

pinned
on display
collected 
like stamps

things

stuck 
by a pin

our bodies
in rows

our wings 
wide open

netted 
and caught 
where we flew 
catching the light
and drinking the dew

now
a butterfly array 

stored

on a board—
a collection—
a hoard—
on display

lepidoptery
dismay


_{—Lesley Scoble, April 2026}

I love this haiku by Matsuō Bashō

Wake, butterfly—
it’s late, we’ve miles
to go together.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My thanks to Melissa Lemay for her inspiring Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #369.
The image of the butterflies in the vitrine is by Alexander Mass on Pexels.
And my thanks to you, the reader, for spending this time with me.

Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #369

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6 responses to “On Display”

byngnigel

April 21, 2026 at 12:44 pm

Loved the last verse…
And there are men who love that way when it comes to relationships.
Well done, Lesley. 😊

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1. lesleyscoble
  
  April 21, 2026 at 12:47 pm
  
  Aw, thank you my kind friend. 🤗
  
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  1. byngnigel
    
    April 21, 2026 at 12:48 pm
    
    You’re welcome, Lesley.
    
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poetisatinta

April 21, 2026 at 4:35 pm

Excellent Lesley you capture the tension between the beauty of the ‘specimen’ and the violence of preservation ♥️

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Lincol Martín

April 22, 2026 at 1:23 am

The poem criticizes how beauty and life are captured and transformed into objects devoid of freedom.

It conveys a sense of sadness at the reality of a life reduced to mere exhibition.

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yvettemcalleiro

April 24, 2026 at 11:36 am

Great poem, Lesley! Love the haiku you shared!

Yvette M Calleiro :-)

http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com

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