The Diving Bell and the Butterfly *


by Wolran Kim (#1232)



Even through this small port
I can see paralyzed world clearly
Saliva flowing out of loose lips
was final sap that I drank the sea
Two pairs of wings, have wide heart
and shiny embroidered
I can hear now they cast off the skin
E, S, A, R, I, N, T, U, L**
Blink,
whenever heaven's alphabet sounds like testate
O, M, D, P, C, F, B, V**
Blink,
Butterfly shouldered a diving bell
H, G, J, Q, Z, Y, X, K, W**
Blink,
Flying away carry on a huge prison
Even though tens of thousands memories writing
the music of loss while out through the iron bars
I'll shoot missiles mounted on me
Deep-sea floor is just runway to fly
Now, I can say, I was a butterfly
A butterfly looking back and say
It was not such a big case at all
Just close the window of one eye secretly
Thou, once in a while
Build a tender prison where you trap free
Thou, today too
Be with thousands of butterflies




* 2007 film directed by Julian Schnabel and written by Ronald Harwood. It is based on the French memoir Le Scaphandre et le Papillon by Jean-Dominique Bauby.
** alphabetical order from speech therapist