Chest fluttering with a thousand butterflies
the wings tickle my ribs
and make me lighter than air
to float down the hallway

And when they multiply
caterpillar larvae wiggle and worm
they sever my heart strings
to fill their happy bellies

I smile to meet your smile
mimicking the canopy, your slivered teeth
with my body bitten
between the stems

But butterflies live for only a day
they get overexcited over nothing
and die on the vines
the feeling passes
and the chrysalis, my chest
stays empty