The Butterfly Effect

The illusion of eyes on a butterfly wing developed naturally. The butterfly isn’t conscious of the pattern, has no conception of how many times its body has saved its life.

Eyes of the butterfly,
Spotted by a bird in hunt,
Awake as wings unfold

Ghost of an owl alights,
Wide gazes, like talons,
Sharpen in the flesh—

Bird’s apex is usurped,
Jolted by this gust of light,
By devils in the wings…

Bird cedes to the bristles;
Turns to new pursuits
As butterfly ripples turn with her.

Butterfly shuts her wings
Having turned the course of life,
Unaware of salvation’s eyes—

Unaware of the gale in her flutter

Common Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia) with eyespots

…

Cover image A.I. generated through NightCafe

Body image by Jill Staake, for Birds&Bloom