The photo above is a black swallowtail that was born in the fennel in our garden last summer, raised in the safety of our house, and released back into the garden when she (yes, that’s a female) emerged from her cocoon. Compare a real black swallowtail to the piñata version by Roberto Benavidez. Remarkable, isn’t it? Using “paper as the equivalent of paint” in a “fringe that flows,” Benavidez is able to capture the reality of a butterfly, the fantasy of mythical creatures, and nearly photographic landscapes.
If you want to know more about piñatas as well as about Roberto Benavidez and his art, you can watch this Craft In America episode on play. Piñatas are found at 12:16, and Roberto Benavidez is at 18:27.
Here’s how the other Poetry Sisters met this month’s challenge:
Liz @ Liz Garton Scanlon
Tricia @ The Miss Rumphius Effect
Tanita @ {fiction, instead of lies}
Laura @ Laura Purdie Salas
Sara @ Read Write Believe
Kelly @ Kelly Ramsdell
Susan has this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup at Chicken Spaghetti.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
Mary Lee, i love how you brought the celebratory nature of pinata to your swallowtail poem! We are all celebrating together….xo
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I love the repeating line “You snagged a patch of sky.” I haven’t been able yet to access the links to see Benevidez’s art but will keep trying. So happy this butterfly had you in her corner!
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I think I fixed the link to the swallowtail. The others seem to be working. Hope you can see them!
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Thanks, Mary Lee. Yes, I can see them now and they are incredible.
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The repeating lines are lovely, but it’s the bit in the middle that I adore.
You snagged a patch of sky –
didn’t even ask July –
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The rhyme and repetition are stunning here, Mary Lee — like wing beats.
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Snagging a patch of sky is such a coup! I love the triumph in the words of this little thief, flaunting her spoils in front of July, waving her flag all over the garden. This is very dear.
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Mary Lee, thank you for sharing the specific pieces to watch on the Craft In America was fascinating. I got such a mix of whimsy and craft in Benavidex’s artistic work. As I looked at all the pieces he made for his installation, I wondered how he accomplished it but the video supplied the missing pieces. I like the flow of your poem and the realism of the pinata when it is paired to your beautiful butterfly.
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I love the idea of wings rippling through the wind like a flag. I am also impressed that you can tell the difference between a male and female swallowtail!
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She appears to be delaying her leaving, looking up at you with hopeful antennae. I’m so delighted that the universe called (finding a swallowtail in Benavidex’s work!). Inspiring!
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Mary Lee, it is so delightful to see your black swallowtail with Benavidez’s graceful butterfly pinata. Wow. Your poetry form is familiar–I think I have seen it before, but I can’t remember!? I love that she “didn’t even ask July.” So clever and lighthearted!
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I think you must have been so thrilled to see Benavidez’s black swallowtail, Mary Lee, and remember your own. Your poem feels as if you’re bestowing an honor on your own, even showing her she’s so brilliant that an artist made something like her! “You snagged a piece of sky” is a line to remember!
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Such a wonderful example of repetition used to effect. This is lovely, Mary Lee. You paint a picture I’ve not imagined – but can!
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I love your refrain “snagged a patch of sky” but also WOW–that pinata of the butterfly!!!!
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“didn’t even ask July–” I love that, Mary Lee. So much voice, like the swallowtail is some little scoundrel, slightly misbehaving but making up for it with the joy it gives us.
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Such a wonderful repeated line! Did you have this tucked away or did it flow out of you? Such a clever line “didn’t even ask July.”
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What a beautiful poem inspired by a beautiful butterfly! How cool that she started life in your garden and home.
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I adore “snagged a patch of sky.” What a wonderful description of the black swallowtail…and wow! what a great pinata to write about. Beautiful.
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In the midst of winter, your poem makes me smile, thinking of all the bright things of summer—sky and July and this butterfly. You’ve celebrated her and Benavidez’s work remarkably.
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I loved how you protected and help bring this butterfly to life. Loved that it “snagged a patch of sky.” Such a lovely butterfly!
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Mary, the joyful movement of your poem made me smile. Thank you! And that pinata is stunning!
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Marylee, I love your repeating refrain and I also love your repetitive “made your wings into a flag.” I also love your line “didn’t even ask July.” Roberto’s black swallowtail is amazing, all his sculptures are so intricate. love black and tiger swallowtail butterflies! Usually, I see both of them in my garden, but we had so much rain this summer that I only saw a couple monarchs, a small fritillary, and a small bluish-silvery butterfly that I wasn’t able to identify. I love watching butterflies’ metamorphosize. When our girls were young one of our monarch butterflies emerged with a damaged wing. Since it was going to rain that night, we took him inside to eat and I brought him back out the next day. Beautiful post.
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