Dance of the Monarch
After an oil on acrylic by Paulette Demers Turco
by Michael Escoubas

Wing on wing fluttering
pirouetting
above the marsh milkweed

as late spring sunshine
attracts the royal
Monarch. Named for William

of Orange, your regal robe
trimmed in black
speckled with white diamonds.

Delicate pink petals crowned
with nectar cups
wait for you to land, slip

down on the blossom’s curved
horn, emerge
pollen-laden, again and yet

again, you dance on and on
spreading love
as the milkweed’s pods fill and burst.

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