Cracks in the Lead 12-25-9

Anderson, South Carolina

Yesterday was a dark dull day with a bleak leaden sky. Even so in this kind of day radiant possibilities can colorize the moment.

While out walking in the morning and the temperature being about 49 degrees I saw a large viceroy butterfly in the road, struggling to gain lift. It could not get off the cold asphalt. I reached down and as I reached for it, it found enough lift to flutter up onto my upper thigh. I put my hands down and it immediately was drawn to what little warmth was in them, a bit more than the asphalt I suppose. I carried this magnificent creation for about fifteen minutes in cupped hands. I probably looked like a Buddhist monk carrying an alms bowl. I am sure the fellow walking with me was in wonderment about this. His dog did not seem a bit interested.

After about nine hundred seconds had elapsed, a brilliant orange, black, yellow, and white butterfly had gained enough warmth to make a take off and it flew steadily and surely to the top of a pine tree two hundred feet away. I wondered how it was that such a magnificent creature had once been a crawling worm and only moments before looked like it was in its last moments of life. Amazingly, these beautiful fragile creatures can fly six hundred miles without taking a rest.

At 5:50 PM, I was on the phone when I noticed the lead colored sky suddenly turned the color of ruby. I told my neighbor to look out her window. She did and exclaimed that there was a complete rainbow visible from her vantage. I instantly hung up and went out with a digital camera. How there could be a rainbow with a solid pink cloud cover, no direct sunlight, and virtually no light left to the day was beyond me.

Wonders do still happen when least expected – like worms turning into delta winged rainbows that can fly six hundred miles non-stop.