Monarchs, Viceroys, Swallowtails

For years they came tacking in, full sail,

Riding the light down through the trees,

Over the rooftops, and not just monarchs,

But viceroys, swallowtails, so many

They became unremarkable, showing up

As they did whether we noticed them or not,

Swooping and fanning out at the bright

Margins of the day. So how did we know

Until it was too late, until they quit coming,

That the flowers in the flower beds

Would close their shutters, and the birds

Grow so dull they’d lose the power to sing,

And how later, after the river died,

Others would follow, admirals, buckeyes,

All going off like some lavish parade

Into the great overcrowded silence.

And no one bothered to tell the trees

They wouldn’t be coming back any more,

The huge shade trees where they used

To gather, every last branch and leaf sagging

Under the bright freight of their wings.

Copyright Credit: Poem copyright ©2019 by Robert Hedin, "Monarchs, Viceroys, Swallowtails," from the Alaska Quarterly Review (Vol. 36, No. 3 & 4). Poem reprinted by permission of Robert Hedin and the publisher.