It Came To Rest

I saw a monarch yesterday --
Just briefly stopping on its way;
Its wings held up discreetly pressed
And in the sun it came to rest.

A thousand miles it has to go --
And last week stalled by days of snow;
Some futile does it seem its quest
And in the sun it came to rest.

And half the flowers last week died --
For butterflies do food provide;
But still and all it's faced the test
And in the sun it came to rest.

Its odds are infinitely high,
As late it's been too cool to fly;
For cold it is a thing unblessed
And in the sun it came to rest.

Today I saw a monarch then --
'Twas in the place it had been when;
Its wings held up discreetly pressed
And in the sun it came to rest.

                                      G. Kittell
                                            2006