The Butterfly And The Entomologist

Out on the road I met a butterfly

She had a fantastic wingspan, almost two feet wide

She'd recently been injured and she could not fly

So she asked me if she could bum a ride

In the old shell of her chrysalis she carried her things

She tossed it in the back and stretched her beautiful wings

She sat there next to me with her front legs on the dashboard

Those wings folded behind her and her little head cocked forward

She told me her story, a price was on her head

This bastard entomologist pursued her live or dead

He'd vowed to hunt her down as there was a large reward

He'd captured her and drugged her and nailed her to a board

Her escape was narrow, she'd torn through her own wing

She saw my look of horror and she started to sing

"I'm going to a no man's land Because men and violence are intertwined"

Well, I see, I said.

But not all men are violent

I'm not a violent man myself

She laughed and said try not to get too attached to me

'Cause soon I will be well and I will fly away from thee

One night when we had stopped into a diner for a meal

She laughed and laughed about the plastic flowers on the tables

I started seeing through her eyes the passing desert scenery

She watched the birds and tumbleweeds

With fondness and with envy

We came across some sad road kill, a beautiful coyote

She sighed her butterfly sigh and once again sang softly:

"I'm going to a no man's land Because men and violence are intertwined"

Next morning as I came out of a Texaco station,

I saw she wasn't at the car, and I figured she had run

Then I heard her high squeal and I heard his low laughter

"You'll never out run me" he said, "you are the girl I'm after."

I chased down the sound to the side of the station,

She was cornered between the wall and a soda machine

I moved as if by instinct, I did it without thought

I clipped him and I kicked him

And I grabbed him 'round the throat

I pinned him to the wall and his eyes were bulging wide

I said if there's a next time I will see YOU crucified

With this I released him and he crumpled to the ground

The butterfly was gone again when I turned around

But then her little song drew our attention to the sky

Though with a certain lack of grace she had begun to fly

That was the last I saw of her, she never said goodbye

She just flapped off and disappeared

While singing with a sigh

"I'm going to a no man's land Because men and violence are intertwined"