Before

The butterfly was there
before any human art was made.
Before cathedrals rose in prayer,
the butterfly was there.
Before pyramids pierced the air
or Great Wall stones were laid,
the butterfly was there.
Before any human, art was made.

Copyright Credit: Avis Harley, "Before" from The Monarch’s Progress: Poems with Wings. Copyright © 2008 by Avis Harley.  Reprinted by permission of Boyds Mills & Kane, a division of Astra Publishing House.
Source: The Monarch’s Progress: Poems with Wings (Boyds Mills Press, 2008)