The Caterpillar and The Moth (Madisyn Barbosa- Lafayette, LA)

Once there was a caterpillar walking out on a limb, and a moth flew by and landed on a leaf next to the caterpillar who was getting more and more nervous walking out on the limb for fear it would break.

The moth said, "Look at you, all ugly and plump, walking and being afraid with every step, where as I can fly and be free."

The caterpillar said, "Of course, you aren't afraid to take risks, because you can't fall, as I on the other hand, will do what my body tells me too, and my body and mind say for me to take a chance on this limb to break, it's what I have and need to do."

The moth said, "You will never be like me."

The caterpillar said, "Thank god, now if you excuse me, I have some work on myself to do," and it began making a cocoon.

Time goes by and the moth flies by the cocoon and says, "Hello caterpillar, I see you are just hanging by a thread, and you will soon fall, and I can fly away laughing."

The butterfly comes out of the cocoon and tells the moth, "See, I knew I'd never be like you, I knew I'd be better because my struggles made me stronger, now if you excuse me, it's my turn to fly." And the butterfly smiles and extends her beautiful wings out and flies away smiling....

The moth was so astonished she fell off the limb onto the ground and was stepped on by a man that was walking by that didn't even notice her, because he was looking at the butterfly....

Comments

Come Hither (Annette Redmond Walters - Lafayette, LA)

I meant it not this way but the tears just flow and my makeup smearing all the more, leaving behind that familiar filthy residue. I may have begun to drive myself away, dragging you down as well. But it's done, I've flipped the switch and now it's dark once more. How painful is the music to my ears, I can't stand to be alone in it, yet here I am again. I pray you fly back and safely and warmly to me, though I fear I've dug the grave too deeply. As the dirt shifts within my soul, I choke on those loving words I'd meant for you. All the fragments of light I see becoming smaller and I wish to be near you in your embrace that might make me feel the warmth I'm missing. And in reality, I doubt I'd breathe another breath without you. So come hither and quickly soothe my dying heart, you are the only cure I know. I cry and cry again, come hither to heal and love me. Come hither and help me dry my tears.

Let That Fucker Burn (John Chenvert - Napoleonville, LA)

Let that fucker burn. Let the fire crackle like the whips once did— like bone meeting leather, like screams swallowed by the trees. Let the white columns crumble to ash. Not as tragedy— but as truth, unearthing itself from beneath generations of silence. Nottoway is not a mansion. It’s a mausoleum. A lie carved in stone to honor the hands that held the whip, not the backs that bore it. They called it the “White Castle.” A place of beauty. A place for weddings, for photo ops, for pretending that horror can be made elegant if the curtains match the guilt. But no paint can cover what happened there. Blood doesn’t wash out with white linens. And pain doesn’t forget just because you renamed it history. I’m not Black. And I won’t pretend to carry that weight. But I also won’t ignore it. My people—the Guanches—were taken too. Our language silenced. Our land stolen. Our names nearly erased. So yes, I know colonization. Yes, I know what it means to be disappeared. But I also know this— my skin ...

The Peculiar New Room (Nick Perere - Baton Rouge, LA)

A peculiar fourth room has appeared in my three bedroom abode. High ceilings Higher than any ceiling in the house Perfectly pristine whitewashed gallery walls The largest window one can imagine Stretching from floor to ceiling Wide as an ocean’s horizon Revealing the lushest greenery and the bluest skies. I am meant to show masterpieces here. But in one of the corners o f the perfectly pristine whitewashed gallery walls i s an ugly patch of dirt. Dirt darker than charred coal. And the dirt is crawling And multiplying. With their spindly legs and dangly antennae Vermin covered in filth and willingly ready to spread their germs Scuffing the perfectly pristine whitewashed gallery walls. But I have to move on, I have a gallery to exhibit. Smile and act as if nothing is wrong. Come. Enjoy the show. Enjoy the artwork hanging Upon the perfectly pristine whitewashed gallery walls.

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