The Weight of Butterflies

We’re lounging on the patio when a butterfly lands on your nose. You cross your eyes to look but don’t laugh. I wait for you to brush it away; instead, you stay still, lips moving as if whispering a secret.

*

You come downstairs wearing a black silk blouse patterned with butterflies. I say it’s fancy for work. You don’t answer. The kitchen window is open. I hear the flower garden breathing.

*

We make pasta sauce together. We used to sing and even dance while cutting tomatoes, sprinkling seasoning, stirring in anchovies. We fed each other spoon-sips. Now we’re a well-oiled machine and get done in half the time. The meal tastes as if made by equipment.

*

Before the alarm sounds, I watch you sleep. Your eyes dart under your lids as if you’re counting butterflies in a meadow. Or are you flying among them?

*

Standing at the kitchen window, you say you wonder about the butterflies. When I ask what you mean, you say you wonder about the butterflies. 

* 

The kitchen fills with butterflies, their shapes black in the glare. Their wings hum a tune I can’t quite remember. I try to wave them off, but they cling to my hands and face. When I open my mouth to shout, one flies in, its body soft and choking. I sink to my knees. You watch, silent, eyes as dark as their wings.

*

I wake on the patio, alone. The garden is quiet, and the flowers lean forward as if  listening. I go inside. The house wears your scent, but your keys are gone. A butterfly flutters around. On the counter by my phone, there’s a note saying you’ve left…. For errands? For good? I reach for my phone, but the butterfly alights and pins it to the counter.

David Henson and his wife have lived in Brussels and Hong Kong and now reside in Illinois. His work has been selected for Best Microfictions 2025, nominated for four Pushcart Prizes, Best of the Net, and two Best Small Fictions. His writings have appeared in various journals including Club Plum Literary Journal, Bright Flash Literary Journal, Literally Stories, Ghost Parachute, Moonpark Review, and Maudlin House. His website is http://writings217.wordpress.com. His X handle is @annalou8. 

A Song for David