a poem by Cecilia Garcia Ruiz, originally posted in Chasing Tomorrow by UNESCO
I open my eyes,
I observe.
The damp grass beneath my feet
confirms it.
It’s the time of the butterflies,
a ballet of bright blue wings.
It’s the time of “las mariposas”,
those who danced to eternity,
and planted the seeds
to fight for our equal rights.
There used to be days
when the suffocating air
clouded our eyes
and our minds.
Wasting the planet in a blink of an eye;
blindly devouring our life.
I open my eyes and I realize
those days are behind.
A dazzling peel.
Heavy, tropical scent. A fruit
grown by my hands.
I taste its fresh yellow pulp.
The gurgle of running water,
like a polished mirror
exalts the rejuvenated landscape.
The elixir of a healthy city
with leafy green lungs.
A peaceful home,
where all fears are gone.
I open my eyes and I see her.
Sitting next to me,
her tousled hair in the wind.
Daydreaming.
She knows she can go
as far as she wants,
even beyond the stars.
A free spirit she is,
no one to hold her back.
It is the legacy of the butterflies,
those who inspired until the last breath of their life.