CONVERSATION OVERHEARD BETWEEN TWO MONARCH BUTTERFLYS

Waiting for a friend outside of Subway,
2 Monarchs perched on top of a garbage can
are engrossed in an animated conversation:
It’s crazy! I just flew down from Sacramento.
Everybody was freaked out.
It’s weird, I thought it looked cool.
The VFW barbecue was wild!
I can’t tolerate the heat the way I used to.
I heard we may soon make the list
of endangered species.
Don’t worry, what goes around, comes around.
I spied some delicious hibiscus behind Macdonald’s.
Watch out for monkeys in the trees, stinkbugs
on the ground and the homicidal praying mantis.
Do you ever miss being a caterpillar?
I much preferred being cozy as a chrysalis.
We’re luckier than people—we know how to live in the moment.
Without being French, we got genuine Joie-de-vivre.
Let’s meet in Acapulco this winter.