Chrysalis
Does a caterpillar have dreams 
	of flying?
And when she breaks out of the cocoon, she finds
	the air familiar,
the sky home and wonders
	at the memory.

And if I have these dreams,
	what then?
 

Lessons 
At 43, I took my dad whale-watching—
wanting to give back all the joys and experiences
he brought to us 

when we were kids around amusement 
parks, down giant water slides, hiking 
through a jungle, 

up to a cascading waterfall, the beach 
every summer, teaching us to play basketball, badminton, 
pickle-ball, how to ride

motorcycles, change our oil, chase the beauty 
around England, Oregon, Maui, Sumatra,
helping us keep up 

with life and adventure, turning over the hard rocks,
unveiling miracles of creation, leaping 
towards the unknown

conquering fears and naysayers. Any way I could pay back
all of this and more … so we went. 
And we didn’t see whales

but hundreds of dolphins leaping, swimming, twisting 
in sync, in syncopation, in joy, teasing us, 
reveling with us, inviting us to join—

—I like to imagine—in gratitude for life
and all it can possibly bring.
 

This is Life
Intention. In her 
slow 
uphill 
walk

Royal blue habit: a painting
distinct against the bright
pink roses

Just a moment for me, following her
rushing through the city,

—but for her, began with a seed
planted, rain and sun lifted 
roots, 
greens, 
petals towards this woman 
who made grand choices,
sacrificial yet barely seen
—only in her blue 
dress and calm demeanor,
brushing through the morning
garden.

About the author:

D Larissa Peters grew up in Indonesia and has been somewhat of a nomad. After meandering around the East Coast for more than 10 years, she now resides in California. Her most recently published poems have appeared in Does it Have Pockets and Pink Hydra, and she has a few forthcoming pieces elsewhere.

Feature image by Europeana on Unsplash