1. The sacrifice is
loss of the familiar
body.

2. The prize is
the freedom of flight,
a new face, and pristine
unknown form.

3. The mummified
pupa unwinds.

4. Inside the chrysalis,
space between
touch, the pupa
dissolves.

5. In tomb, light
becomes lighter,
determined to
quicken, turns and
hardens.

6. The waiting,
five to twenty-one days
or more if conditions
are harsh.

7. Reborn, the butterfly
cracks sepulcher’s spine,
hangs new tapestry
wings to dry.

8. The new body
bears itself, relearns,
has consumed all proof
of previous existence.

Lily Anna Erb is an emerging poet from Long Island, New York. She studied Creative Writing at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 2019, she was awarded the Michener Scholarship for Creative Writing. Her work can be found in Poet’s Choice, The New York Quarterly, and The Atlanta Review, among other places.