The Thirsty Crow

1. One afternoon a big black butterfly flew into my house 

    and settled on the window glass

    He was mostly black, with few spots of red.

    Is this the ‘common crow’ butterfly? I scratched my head.

(the butterfly fluttering around the big black pot reminded me of the tale of the thirsty crow) 

2. His wings were broken, almost gone.

    I wondered what could have gone wrong.  

     

   Had he been in a fight to woo his winged delight ?

   Or escaped a predator and flapped his wings to save his life?

   Hard to tell, amorous fight or a flight for his dear life?

3.  I extended my hand, hoping we’d be friends.

        

4. With his antennae, his proboscis and his feet 
    he felt around, to ensure he was on safe ground 

    Then he unrolled his proboscis and gave me a lick

    in hope of tasting something sweet

                                                                              

     

                                                                      

                                                                                                                                

5. A thirsty crow, or so he seemed

   So I offered him some juice from a fingertip 

   He sipped, slurped and relished every bit,      

refused to get off my fingertips.  


   

  

6. He seemed comfortable and secure

    So he posed for some clicks. 

                                                                                                                                                                                               

7. With every click I discovered 
    he had more colours 

    much more than black, white and red.

    He had splashes of iridescent blue green as well.

 

Gaudy Baron (male)

Ahh! He was not the thirsty crow as earlier christened

He was a beautiful ‘Gaudy Baron butterfly' 

who probably lost a wing fighting for a beautiful Baronet.  

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Common Crow Butterfly