“Tiger King”

With black stripes that

announce “tiger king,”

a tiger swallowtail butterfly

lifts golden wings that drift and glide,

as he sips nectar and ferries pollen.

With a linger here, a perch there,

and swish of a barn-swallow tail,

he rises above with goodwill.

There is a time to scatter, 

and a time to gather.

A time to embrace,

and a time to be far from embraces.

                           (Ecclesiastes, 3:5) 

  —Deb. Johnston