Monarch March: a poem by Daniel Moreschi

image by Prawny, on Pixabay, modified

Monarch March

Sporadic streaks of specks seem led by intermittent light

around a tract of trackless paths, where grassy hills invite

them to descend on boughs; to drop down onto dews and fuse

with branches, lacing tapestries of gilded-auburn hues.

When dawning rays illuminate these dormant swathes, it brings

a timeless cue; each warm caress ignites the need to sing

a trickle-leaden melody as floods of flutters form

a whirl that emanates a soaring chorus; twinkling swarms

emerge from canopies. Propelled by lifts of wind-veined streams,

the riffs of flits are funneled upwards, strung by secret seams;

the butterflies align with clouds, until horizons wear

their gushing flushes as they jive and dive through aisles of air.

They flow in growing droves and reach beyond an ocean's span

to render an aurora pose above Michoacán

and patter on familiar firs. A journey rebegun:

the rise and fall of monarchs that forever chase the sun.

Previously published in Encore: Prize Poems 2023, an anthology published

by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies on June 27, 2023.

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Daniel Moreschi is a poet from Neath, South Wales, UK, who experienced a significant

turning point when his ongoing battle with severe M.E. (myalgic encephalomyelitis/

chronic fatigue syndrome) upended his life. However, during this period, he also rediscovered his passion for poetry, which had lain dormant since his teenage years. Writing has become a distraction from his struggles. Daniel has been published in numerous National Federation of State Poetry Societies anthologies of prize-winning

poetry, as well as by Lunar Codex, The Lyric, Society of Classical Poets, The Dawn-treader, WestWard Quarterly, Wishbone Words, The Chained Muse, Every Writer Resource, Formal Verse, and an array of other publications.

November 2024 issue