More than a single
generation of monarchs
makes the long migration
down to Mexico. They are
born en route, die,
become replaced. No
Google maps, no name
tags are pinned against
first-day-of-school clothes –
no emergency data jingles
on metal neck tags.
Stop signs, left and right
turns, all come encoded,
tucked inside brain
cabinets – in the stem
where the ancient thrives.
Monarchs carry extra
lapidary wing powder
instead of spare tires
and use their company
manners at every stop.
They could use a car hop.
Imagine pursuing a quest
over half a dozen
generations – until
it is won. Mother to
daughter, father to son –
grandsons and daughters
carrying a torch still
lighted in storms, a bright
beacon like that light
people who come back
from death tell about.
—
Irene Adler was a poet and English teacher in Palo Alto, California, where she was also a co-owner of the company that invented the Aerobie flying ring and the Aeropress coffee maker. By the time of her death in October 2023, she had written over 2,000 poems spanning 25 years. These were collated and curated for a posthumous collection, Bone Flute, which will be published in Spring 2025 by Paloma Press.
