Craig W. Steele

If I could reincarnate once,
which creature would I choose to be?
A hummingbird? A butterfly?
Which form would cloak the newborn me?

Most hummingbirds too often fight
with one another when they feed,
and I don’t want to battle fellow
birds; I’ve never had such need.

And all the pretty ones are males.
I won’t remain a dullish drone,
and I refuse to deal with testy
issues of testosterone.

But as a butterfly, I’d live two lives:
a caterpillar, first, so I could gorge
on sugared greenery while growing
melon-shaped, guilt free, by George.

And on my second birth day I’d
emerge a tempting, jewel-winged hottie.
"A seductive metamorphosis,”
she whispers, winking naughtily.