flying free?

i am an artist who prefers to paint in silence

i am a butterfly who flies freely, boldly, alone

who shrivels back into her cocoon at human touch

her wings flapping ferociously inside a self-made grave

desperate for the air they share

too scared to show off her colours

i dance in the night when no one's looking

the stars and moonlight are my sole companions

i weep by day, sheltered by the shadows,

longing for someone to notice my colours