Wings of desire

I vividly remember the classes of our grade four English teacher. Although a name I can no longer recall, just like the completely faded memory of a face once loved, the lessons I learned on literature, art, love and life have stayed with me beyond those primary school days.

He once told us about butterflies; 'papillon' in French, we also learned. And how they differ from moths — they have their wings in a tent-like fashion; butterflies hold their wings up over their backs!

But what made a mark on my psyche at that tender age was how he eloquently compared the life of David Copperfield with that of a quivering butterfly!

The only inevitable in life is death, but the only way forward is to adapt, and take new forms. As days go by, we undergo change, not one, but a series of metamorphoses— each more remarkable than the previous.

No one can say how the butterfly feels when it comes to this form from a maggot, crawling on the leaves on a bushy plant. Or what happens to it when it changes from an insect to something that has captured our imaginations, especially of those that are more romance inclined. And what happens after?

Is it an end? Perhaps it is. Yet there is this infinite possibility that the butterfly's new form in the realm of the unknown is even more beautiful than its colourful mortal existence. Those who learn to live life fully strive like the fluttering wings of a butterfly. As they move from one flower to another, their wings stay upright in a brilliant display of dazzling hues, their hearts aflutter in amazement or contentment, and minds full of hope, come what may.

Photo: Wings by Murtaja Baseer

Image courtesy: Galleri Kaya