where there is space in the world

There is time. And with time, there is space.

And in space, there is the world, and in the world, there is a forest.

And in this forest is a lonely caterpillar on the leaf of a stalky oak branch,

And hanging beside her: her mummified lover.

 

Light had come, darkness followed.

Then light came again, and darkness followed once more.

But after a fortnight of lights and darknesses, the caterpillar lamented:

 

“How long must I await your presence?

How long must I stomach the despair

Of an inkling that you won’t return?

It’s a thought I cannot bear.

 

Perched upon this mossy bark, I’ve counted every moon,

But the promise of another sun won’t mean I’ll see you soon.

 

I could sever the decay of your dangling sleeve,

Or gently unwrap it to set you free—

Shake or cry if you agree!

Please emerge, my love, for me!

I cannot take it when you leave…

 

Because when you do, I’m plagued with thoughts

Of what I’ll do when this oak rots.

 

What if my waiting ends and you

Emerge with mosaic wings in view?

I’d stare, unchanged, dreams still caught in dew.

I hate that I can’t grow with you…”

​

Now unraveled, her lover flies off into the forest

And out into the world.

But for a lonely caterpillar in this world,

There is still space to heal.

 

And where there is space,

There is time to grow.