
I almost tread on this fuzzy little chap on the sidewalk, out for a stroll, soaking up the mid-winter sun.
How’s it hanging? he asks.
Oh , you know; not bad.
He looks up. You out of lockdown yet?
Almost, I say, one day to go but we’re allowed to walk. How about you?
I’m about to enter the biggest lockdown of all, he says in a tone half way between excitement and trepidation.
Wow! I say. Really?
Yes, he says, metamorphosis. You heard of it?
Why, yes. It sounds magical.
Up to 14 days, he says. No food. No visitations. Reckon you could handle it?
If I could turn into something light, winged and beautiful, like a butterfly, I’d give it a go.
You humans can’t have everything, you know.
I nod my head sagely.
True, I say, true. Well, anyway, have a good …. metamorphosis, and off he trundles on his way, giving me the thumbs up, a tricky thing for a caterpillar. Such a clever chap.
“What you been smokin’,
John, and can I have some?
It’s been a long lock down
a rabbit hole of isolation.”
~ a Cheshire Cat 🐱
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hahahahah; just went for a walk yesterday — the sun was , at last shining and I almost stepped on this fuzzy caterpillar, and I imagined a conversation between us, and the magnificent, life-changing lock-down he’s about to enter 🙂
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yes, I should have called it — in fact, I will — ‘The Magnificent Lockdown 🙂
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Brings a new perspective to lockdown
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Morpheus, high up on Mount Olympus,
approves of this metamorphorphical
message 🤔
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Lol; thanks, David: a caterpillar suggested it 🙂
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Gorgeous! 🥰🥰
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thanks Worms; I changed the title only minutes ago and I’m glad I did: it’s more in tune with the grand gesture of the caterpillar’s lockdown 🙂
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😊
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Oh, John did you fall down the rabbit hole? I’m with David, lol! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ug2EcWkb26I
😁😵💫
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what a delightful video; I had not seen it before though I well remember the song from the psychedelic sixties; a fuzzy caterpillar, also referenced in Alice, led me down my particular rabbit hole: I’m not sure if I’m out of it yet 🙂
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Well I thing your trip down the rabbit hole was pretty, groovy. Oh!! Well now let’s have another than. 😉😎
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thanks Elle; it was a very special trip; that caterpillar sure opened my eyes 🙂
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This is great…thumbs up:)
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🙂 thanks Becky
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My pleasaure, John!
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As a butterfly he won’t need the Covid centi-wash. It takes a while you know.
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hahah; the next time I see him he’ll be flying over my head; I wonder if memories are maintained during metamorphosis ?
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Wonderful.
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not if you’re in one 🙂 but thanks 🙂
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I actually dont mind the lockdowns. For once we dont have tourists buzzing around on our hillside…. its quiet and the families can relax in the sunshine.
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yes, lockdowns do have their silver linings, that is true: I’m more creative, and write a post a day every day 🙂 and some are good 🙂
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Billy Collins has this poem about poets and windows….. I think lockdowns have given us the time to sit by our windows and think.
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I’m a great fan of Billy Collins: I have read all his books; will see if I can find this one 🙂
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It’s a poem called ‘Monday’, the 2005 collection called ‘The Trouble with Poetry’. Had to look it up….
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Just found it: a wonderful poem: it is going in my commonplace book alongside yours: you can’t get much better praise than that 🙂
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Thank you so much John… it means the world to me.
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Lovely piece, I esp enjoy your talent of humanizing nature. Lock-downs can be exhausting and dreary.
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yes, I like to put wisdom in the mouths of ‘critters’ 🙂
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Really interesting !
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Lovely piece, I enjoy your talent of humanizing nature. Lock-downs can be exhausting and dreary.
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A lovely piece of metamorphical chit-chat!
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thanks, Hobbo, and the best thing is I managed with the help of two of my minders to keep our solipsistic friend out of it 🙂
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🤣🤣
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Loved the caterpillar, character, I don’t why but simply loved it
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thank you; he’s a feisty character looking forward to his special lockdown 🙂
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well at least he’s enjoying his lockdown
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Haha, so good John… Love this imaginative story!
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thank you; sometime magic happens 🙂
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This is a ray of light in darkness, and a sweet spark of imagination. I doubt one could compete with that caterpillar. So much beauty through such hard solitude.
Keep writing and expelling the madness boiling inside.
Wonderful! 🙂
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love that phrase:’so much beauty through such hard solitude’ 🙂 oh, and thanks for the Drabble comment too 🙂
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Both were great stories, John. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your wonderful words.
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I think all art is meant to be shared, perhaps even the most private: there should be a law against destroying your manuscripts before dying 🙂
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Love this!
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Love it! In Swedish caterpillar is called a thousand footer (tusenfoting) so that many thumbs up 👍 from me.
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thanks Ulle for thaT info and for that hilarious comment 🙂
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Oh yes! I’m changing my perspective. I’m an immortal jellyfish reverting back to a polyp stage. Oh, that feels much better. Thanks ever so much, John.
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Lol; I could have mentioned the tadpole into a frog but it was a caterpillar that crossed my path not a tadpole 🙂
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Another good example. Do you think the slugs and minnows are jealous? Not much change ahead for them.
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🙂 I also thought, after the piece was posted, hibernation is a form of lockdown ,,,,, but you can’t include everything or can you ???
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Yes, but Hibernation almost feels safer and less stressful to me. 😂 You know there will be thaw. There’s no guarantee with a lockdown.
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thanks K; good point; probably a good thing I left it with the caterpillar metaphor; you can probably overload any poem with metaphors —
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