Butterfly

I saw a butterfly lift in the wind
Drift for a while and come back again
Sweet, aching labor, hour after hour
Tasting the nectar of every flower

Over and over, she plays the game
So many times, but it's always the same
Poor butterfly

I saw a web in the limbs of the tree
Whole deadly trap covered in leaves
Pale, bloodless mourning cloak waits for the kill
Cold, empty spindle, patient and still

Over and over, she plays the game
So many times, but it's always the same
Over and over, they do the dance
They move at the whim of fate, of chance

If only some long lost god at last
Had come along and erased all the past

Over and over, she plays the game
Over and over, they do the dance
Over and over, wings beating wild
And the sweet scented breeze blows on and on