Poems by Marna Owen
Archives: by Issue | by Author Name
Return to Sender
by Marna Owen
From Canary Spring 2020
Marna lives in the San Francisco Bay Delta watershed. The newest addition to her wild garden is butterfly milkweed, a showy flower that provides habitat for monarch butterflies and caterpillars. Environmental groups estimate that the Western Monarch population overwintering in California has dropped 86% from 2018 to 2019.
Dear Monarchs,
I cannot accept your farewell letter.
I beg you, let’s begin again.
I’ve planted milkweed for you.
Your favorite, just how you like it,
Sweet and wild.
I won’t take no for an answer.
So get ready for a shower of pink confetti
When I welcome you home.
© Marna Owen