The cocoon spoke one day
To the most beautiful creature it had ever seen,
Like fluttering flowers –
Its petals like wings, kissing the sun as they dance by,
It asked, ‘Who are you?’
And the flying flower replied,
‘I am the butterfly,’
‘What do you do?’ the cocoon asked again.
The butterfly answered, ‘I spread my wings and fly,
Chasing poets, and getting chased by young boys.
I land on one’s finger, spreading joy and smiles,
I flutter with grace and poise,
As the most splendid flowers lose its hue in front of me.
The sweet rays of the golden sun embrace me,
And I waltz to the warm melodies of birds.
I am the butterfly,
When others boast of their pursuit of the world’s wonders,
And speak of their sightings of those wonders with pride,
I simply reply back,
That I am the world’s wonder.’
The cocoon’s heart jumped up and down,
Its eyes full of twinkle,
And its mind full of the adventure ahead.
But it looked at itself –
Brown, dusty, and hideous
And knew that it was just a pipe dream.
‘I will never look like you,’ the cocoon whispered.
But the butterfly smiled and said,
‘I once looked exactly the same as you,
But I had something you don’t have.’
‘What is that?’
‘Hope. Have hope, dear one. You can do it.’
‘What is hope?’ the cocoon asked.
‘Believing in yourself. Having faith that you will turn beautiful.’
The downhearted cocoon raised its head up,
Its heart pumping again, eyes twinkling again,
And struggled to break out of its shell.
It believed in itself, it planted hope inside the shell,
But was not strong enough to break it.
Was this the end?
Could the cocoon no longer dream of reaching the ends of this world,
Bragging its aesthetic qualities to the universe?
‘Hope is not working,’ said the cocoon.
But the butterfly replied,
‘Hope is when you try again;
It is when you never fail to believe in yourself.’
So the cocoon tried again,
And again,
And again,
Until at last, the shell that divided the cocoon from darkness and light broke,
And its vibrant wings opened wide,
Feeling the spring breeze brush by.
Its eyes were opened to a whole new place,
Welcomed by the poets and the young boys and the joy and smiles,
The colorful flowers below, the sweet rays of the sun,
The warm melodies of birds.
‘Let’s go,’ said the butterfly. ‘For our adventure to come.’
And the two wonders of the world fluttered away.

This is the ode to all cocoons,
Those who dream of paradise in delight,
All that takes to open your wings
Is just a tiny speck of courage and hope.