Let's free each other
lessons from a trapped butterfly
I saw a butterfly today stuck in a cafe. It was trying to escape through the closed window because it didn’t know the glass was a barrier. It walked along the window hoping something magical would happen and it would finally be able to fly through the glass.
When I saw this butterfly I thought about all the times I go to the fridge when I’m hungry knowing there was nothing in there but hoping that maybe I missed something.
I was drinking coffee and eating a very delicious donut outside with my husband as we observed the butterfly. I love donuts, just seeing them brings me joy.
When we were finished eating, my husband went inside to return my glass and throw away our garbage.
He came back with the butterfly on his palm. He was freeing the butterfly but the butterfly didn’t want to leave his palm. He tried to put it on a leaf and it held on. He tried to flip his palm over and it held on. So finally we decided we would just walk with the butterfly until it felt safe enough to let go.
That’s the moment the butterfly flew away.
It was a very emotional experience for me because I’m a sucker for happy endings. That’s why I spent most of my life watching rom-coms. It is heteronormative nonsense but people end up happy - most of the time.
The butterfly also reminded me of when I’ve been too scared to fly away. I mean not literally fly, I don’t have wings. I wish I did though. I would fly to a secret island and start a commune.
I mean fly as in do things that I don’t feel prepared to do. Like leaving a job that I know is destroying my mental health because I don’t know anything else.
The one thing that this moment did teach me is that I don’t have to figure this out alone. I can ask for help. The only way we as humans can survive is if we ask for help and help each other.
The only way we humans are going to be free is if we free each other. No government is going to free us. The government takes away our freedom. Not just the supreme court.
Sure the supreme court is showing us that fascism is what’s under those the robes, but the supreme court isn’t the one gutting trans rights in Florida.
This week’s delight was inspired by the idea that only we can save us.
Onto the delights…
The poems/art
I colored this poem to remind myself that no matter how out of place I feel, there is a community out there for me.
all the times you thought you were alone there was there is a universe of souls reaching out to embrace you and whisper you are not alone
I colored this short poem after I told my husband and therapist the thing I want the most is to be free
When you close your eyes and imagine a better world do you see me smiling because I’m finally free
This short poem/art is a plea for us to know we have the collective strength to free each other. I was just frustrated over something and I was thinking, we don’t have to do this if we all just stopped!
Did you forget that we could free each other?
Did you forget?
Please remember
I’m begging you to remember
The video
I gave myself freedom to record a silly joke about the submarine and billionaires. I’m super proud of it.
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The book recommendation
If you are looking for a fun fictional read this summer, I just finished reading Akwaeke Emezi’s, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty. It’s a very salacious read if you are into that kind of thing. I didn’t know it would be salacious when I picked it up but it gave me a really fun escape for a day.
That’s it for the delights!
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P.S. If you want to see me tell the news live and do other shenanigans, my next monthly Brooklyn IRL show Feel the News is this Saturday July 1st!
Thanks Marcela. Love the butterfly story and the poems! Keep the good stuff coming 😁👏