As I contemplate the gravity
of death that pulls
beloved kindred
to the grave,
I look up and see
an iridescent band
of dragonflies flit,
feed, and buzz about,
grateful their beauty
loses no altitude
in the presence
of my grief.
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COMMENTS
12 responses to “Dragonflies”
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This spare poem uses diminishing line lengths in stanzas 1 and 3, while anchored, or perhaps kept upright, by the middle stanza firmly, squarely, raising hope, to the dimishment (almost) of grief. It’s interesting that dragonflies themselves have a very short lifespan. It’s good to look up! Might miss them!
Could spend the day resting in this poem. Thank you for sharing.
Exactly!!! Yes.
Needed this gift of life to delight in. Thank you.
Hmmm…great thoughts.
I don’t want to be a dragonfly that flits around while others are hurting below!
May I flit less this week.
Look! In the midst of all that is lament-worthy, life abundant and vibrant. Thank you.
Is the beauty of the awkward dragon fly a stand in for all the beauty God imbues creation as a reminder of his eternal loving presence? Yes!
Ahhh…reminds me of a phrase(author unknown) I recite often: “The divine moment is the present moment”, especially during these days of chaos, divisiveness and hateful rhetoric. Pleased to learn the dragonfly and hummingbird have some similarities in symbolism. The hummers are always little “joy givers” to me:)
Blessings,
Kathy
I love that this describes both loss and beauty without forcing them to resolve. “Their beauty loses no altitude in the presence of my grief” is comforting to think that beauty keeps flying, even when we can’t.
Pain can’t be denied. Neither, though, can love and beauty.
Thank you for writing that poem for a friend.
The constancy of beauty in the midst of it all. A comfort indeed.