Of butterflies and glass ceilings

Of butterflies and glass ceilings

For too long , we have flitted
In butterfly gardens
Dissipating color , hope
In controlled hot houses

For too long have we longed
For the clear blue skies
From underneath glass ceilings
Built , we are told, for our protection

For too long have we grubbed
Slaved, gathered, spun silk
For the comfort of our keepers
Flitted, fluttered for their entertainment

Open up those ceilings
Follow our erratic , ecstatic flight
Out into the endless blue
All the while keeping faith

That we will still pause
To shed color , hope in lives
During our own short-lived ones
That, we will pause to caress
Your fingertips with a brush
Of colored hope

And gather the warmth
Of summer days
In your rejoicing hearts
As you follow our jerky route
Upwards, onward
Towards the endless blue

--shubha


P.S A few lines that came to me in response to a picture prompt on an online poetry group, The Woman Inc Poetry Project .