Analysis of "Papillon, Hot Butterfly"

Kenneth Carson 1959 (Chicago)



"Papillon, Hot Butterfly"

Papillon,
My hot butterfly
Sky blue silk butterfly

You spread your wings and start a quiet storm!
You're radiating, generating, you turn me on!
It's getting all Smokey up in here.

You flutter down upon my fevered body, all soft and warm with your quiet storm, Splash! I'm awash in you, bathing, swimming, drowning, being drawn up again for air and diving back down.

I'm lying on the shore in your arms, dreaming of the stars in your eyes. Your wings wafting the scent of summer flowers and well spent love all around us. I am lost in you Papillon, my hot butterfly.

Oh my Papillon, how we flitted and flirted in and out, hiding from all those eyes trying to find us out.

Summer love, young love is what this is all about, forbidden love, irresistible love, love that couldn't be stopped.

Remember Papillon, that night they almost caught us? How our hearts beat as we ran through the woods. We fell breathless into a hollow of soft grass behind some trees, voices all around us, we lay panting in each other's arms, wet with fear and the summer heat.

How easily they could have found us, covered in shadow and the setting sun. How quickly my words of assurance brought you deeper into my arms, our fear breaking upon waves of passion that tossed us naked upon our clothes. Our lips and hands searching for that hope hidden in our hearts that somehow we could hold on to this love that others would tear apart!

And that hope did not make us ashamed Papillon!
Not ashamed of the young love we stole from all those who said we shouldn't, we couldn't!
  Not ashamed of the two voices that cried out defiant into the night, in our latest expression of that love, as it rolled over us, melding our bodies, hearts and minds.  
  Not ashamed Papillon, if those voices should call down heaven and earth upon us!

Not ashamed Papillon, too fly!

Love you forever, my hot butterfly!s


Scheme A BAA XBX B A X X X X BXCX A C
Poetic Form
Metre 1110 1 1110 11110 1111010101 11001001111 110110101 110101110101101111011101011010101011011101011 1101010111010101111100111010011110111110111110 111111010001101111101111 101111111101100101001111011 010111111111011111101111001010111011110101111100110111100101 1100111111001001011101110101110011110110011110111100110110101101111001011111111111101101 0111111011 10110111111111110110 10110110111010010101010010111111101101010101 101111101111001011 101111 11010111
Characters 1,895
Words 345
Sentences 23
Stanzas 12
Stanza Lengths 1, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1
Lines Amount 19
Letters per line (avg) 79
Words per line (avg) 18
Letters per stanza (avg) 124
Words per stanza (avg) 29

About this poem

Isn't it a shame you're only young once. You can never be that in love again, never that brave or reckless. Never so willing to put it all on the line! Never so naive, so wrong, so hurt! Never so free!

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Submitted by Spiritbreeze on October 03, 2021

Modified on April 01, 2023

1:46 min read
17

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