Bett Butler’s poetry and short fiction have appeared in Weave, Feathertale, Amp, and other small-press publications in the U.S. and Canada. An award-winning songwriter and jazz musician (International Songwriting Competition, Independent Music Awards), she co-owns Mandala Music Production in San Antonio, Texas, where she and her spouse produce music and spoken word licensed for HBO, Discovery Channel, and more.
ghost butterfly
walking my dog along the frontage road
a ghost butterfly flutters across our path
silver dollar size, white as light
in folklore, its appearance
augurs death
whose, I wonder
my dog?
whose sweet sister’s demise
years ago, still holds our hearts
in a vise grip of grief
my partner?
whose absence, unthinkable,
would wound the universe
my own?
the white-winged angel of death
darts and flits across the access road
tiny wings twinkle
like snowy stars
and shatter
against the windshield of a passing car