Butterflies

“Flutter-by,” it seems, would be a better name
for these erratic fliers. 
Their colorful wings are paper thin.

Still, they’re much less fragile than you think.

Some Monarchs fly across Gulf to Mexico
where they winter over. 
Like birds worn out by winds, they may rest on boats. 

But, unlike their feathered cousins, 
butterflies don’t sing.
Instead, display their beauty. 

It appears to them an inborn duty. 

Not so for men, who have capacity for praise
but, too often, are known, to misuse it
to their own great shame.