We lie on the grassy hillside
Downy white clouds drift lazily over our heads
A butterfly flutters into the blue expanse above us.
Soon the golden yellow of its fragile wings
Fades into the vastness of the atmosphere.

You glance over at me and painfully whisper,
That was my dream.
I wanted to fly, I wanted to soar.

Through a veil of tears, I reply,
You still can.
We can fly away together.
And if you can’t,
I’ll fly for you.

Your dreams won’t die with you,
I’ll nurture them and care for them
Until they are grown and they can fly
For themselves.

Now, many years later,
I am sitting on that same hill
Alone except for a basket under the tree.

I whisper to you,
Hoping that wherever you are,
You can hear me.

I did it,
I raised your dreams,
They are healthy,
Strong, and wonderful.
But of course they are,
How could they not be,
When they were yours.

I open the basket,
And release the butterflies into the air.
The world is instantly colorful,
Their wings create a stir in the air.
The whisper reminds me of you.

Fly away,
Let your whispering wings remind others
Of how precious the time we have on earth is.

Fly away,
Let your whispering wings take others’
Dreams and make them soar.

Fly away,
Little butterfly,
Fly away.