Little Buckeye on a Mission in this Pandemic Summer

Hmmm, did the Buckeye arrive this far north by chance
or by hallowed design?

Butterfly watching is a
summer preoccupation. By the time September rolls around, the number of species
available to be seen drops to single digits. Fortunately, there are a few
species that spent most of the season south of the border but wander north
during late summer.

Common
Buckeyes are one of
these late season explorers. They do not always make it to Southern Ontario,
but this year some have. Buckeyes are
always a pleasure to spot with their exotic markings – gaudy eyespots on a
field of warm brown with dashes of white and orange.

The specimen at the top
of this post was enjoying the flower gardens at Humber Arboretum in Etobicoke last Sunday under sunny skies. It may
have regretted its decision to venture this far north given the unseasonably
cool weather and gray skies that rolled in for the week.

But then again, perhaps
it was not there solely of its own accord.

Being the sort of person
who is prone to flights of fancy and to digging below the surface for hidden
meaning, I cannot help but wonder if Mother Nature had a hand in the visit. Perhaps
she whispered to this lovely little creature and sent it forth.

Little
Buckeye, my pride and joy, I’m sending you north on a mission. Human beings are
rather lost this year because of this phenomenon they call a pandemic. Many are
sticking close to home, fearful and uncertain, and are missing out on so much
of what I have to offer.

So,
my child, wing your way north over the Great Lakes and past the sprawling metropolis
of Toronto. I promise I will watch over and protect you on this rather perilous
journey. No harm will come to you as you obey my calling.

The
destination of your journey is a beautiful plot of flower gardens. You will
know it when you see it and will be quite at home there for a week or two.
Human beings are congregating in this spot more than usual this year as their
souls yearn for me.

Some
of those humans will be wearing face masks. This will seem strange to you as it
does to me. But do not let it deter you. Your appearance there will bring a
smile to their faces, calm their fear stricken hearts and perhaps inspire them to
step out from behind the mask.

Human
beings are not coming to us this year, so we must come to them where we find
them. Little Buckeye, my child, this is a sacred mission and I have chosen you
for it.

You
will be a winged metaphor, infused with my heart, to remind humans that living
in fear is futile, that time does not pause while they quiver in doubt and that
lost days can never be reclaimed.

So
go forth, my child, and let your beauty open their hearts again. My blessings
go with you.

~ Now
Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting
Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

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