Source
r/OCPoetry•
clydesdottir

Metamorphosis

Poem

A frightened little caterpillar creeps across the ground.
Desperate to avoid the preying birds that lurk around.
She finds a tall and sturdy plant and hides among its leaves.
She wraps herself a snug cocoon and slowly drifts to sleep.

But one day she awakens.
There's been an awful change.
The air's grown thin.
She cannot move.
She feels so very strange.
She struggles to find comfort,
But soon she knows full well.
That what was once her haven
Is now a prison cell.

She knows the time has surely come when she must choose her fate.
Stay safe inside her self-made tomb and slowly fade away?
Or claw her way to freedom?
Face dangers eye to eye?
And spread her wings?
And sail the breeze?
As a lovely butterfly!

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/yny44k/money_on_the_mind/ivbr02x?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/ynl5e5/deceptions/ivbw0wd?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3

Posted Nov 6, 2022, 8:51 PM UTC · edited

1111
Slyngbom•

I understand this as a poem about 'growing up' or 'moving on'. The message i got was that security isn't always a good thing, and that to truly 'spread your wings' you must face the world head on. I really liked it. :)

3
clydesdottirOP•

Hit the nail on the head

1
[deleted]•

I really enjoy reading things with regular scansion, and this 4/3 metre works really well with the 'Growing up' nature of the poem that u/Slyngbom quoted- because it's a metre I know appears a lot in children's poetry.

2
clydesdottirOP•

I am really unfamiliar with terms pertaining to the mechanics of poetry and had to look the word scansion up. When I write, I just have to go with the rhythm I hear in my head, and I am never sure of the exact mechanics that I am employing. I need to educate myself more on these things.

I once had a writer friend challenge me to write a villanelle. That was like running a gauntlet for sure. I finally managed to achieve the task, but struggling to employ mechanics that I was unfamiliar with was like 😳😳😳 I had to look up one by Rudyard Kipling to use as a guide to help me accomplish the task.

2
PersimmonExcellent31•

I personally didn't quite find a poem that fits my taste today until I read this. I was sceptical at first as I always am, but as I was pronouncing the last words I fell blissfully enlightened. It is not only the dichotomy between the beautiful image of the fauna and its intrinsically dangerous nature becoming an intelligent oxymoron (reminding me of Baudelaire), nor the carefully selected words that so flawlessly rhyme, but (as I interpreted it) the physical obligation to give away everything you have ever known and most importantly, your security in order to stand out.

2
clydesdottirOP•

Thank you so much. Yes. The conundrum between clinging to familiarity or embracing the unknown, and the ultimate effects remaining stagnant brings. Should I stay or should I go? That is the question...

1
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1
iamthetrippytea•

Wow, I love that. Very discriptive.

1
clydesdottirOP•

Thank you

2
Binthief•

Gorgeous poem and great rhymes. The metaphor of a caterpillar changing into a butterfly is often displayed as a beautiful and exciting thing, but you've managed to use a feeling of uncertainty of change instead which I think is a creative idea and a great perspective, especially when the "butterfly" realizes this change might not be so bad.

1
clydesdottirOP•

Thank you so much. Yes. I wanted to express the fear that accompanies drastic changes and the hesitancy in clinging to familiarity rather than facing the unknown. That "should I stay or should I go?" conundrum.

2