The Black Tattoed Butterfly / Bad Omens

Butterfly is known as a delicate creature of the order of Lepidoptera. Though, there isn’t much to see in Surabaya, it interests me much because of its unusual life cycle and spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colorful winged adult form. In Japanese culture, butterfly is seen as the personification of a person's soul, whether they're living, dying, or dead. Most of butterflies are viewed as bad omens. This idea excites me to create an extraordinary yet terse and simple poem about butterfly that connects to theme of death, gloom, and eternity. Here is the poem, Enjoy!

The Black Tattooed Butterfly

I am the messenger of death

I say the earth is not the heaven of mortals

I’ve seen far too many mortals,

Mortals oh mortals…

Born and reborn,

Live in endless cycle.

Shame on you, who only have a sip of time,

Unable to enjoy immortality,

Drunk from the tempting brevity of time,

Unable to revert their true selves.

Yet here I am,

Stand still to observe and deliver.

I am not the God, who gives life.

I am merely a messenger,

I am the sign of death,

I am eternal.

I am the Black Tattooed Butterfly.