Butterfly Gardening

I set about it organically - no plan -

boards from a neighbor's toss-out pile,

sand from the exposed hill, a layer

of clippings and leaves from the yard, black

dirt from new construction down the road

(at least I could salvage that)

then pentas,

impatiens, sage, mint, dill,

parsley, heliotrope,

fennel, hibiscus (all for the butterflies),

stalky blue statice for line & color

oriental grass for texture

no one would be startled at my sighs

(at least I can try to give

back to the earth, replenish the habitat -

small price relief demands)

and it's the third day

the swallowtail has bounced

on wind gusts around this corner of the house

testing the gardenias, then the ligustrum

he catches scent of the rich pink pentas

and pulls out long drafts, his wings tipping

together to strengthen the pull

his abdomen pointing to the sun

like a sun dial

yes, I can tell

it's the same swallowtail