change - intro
change
for months he taught us, stiff-faced
his old tweed jacket closely buttoned up, his gestures careful and deliberate.
we didn't understand what he was teaching us.
it was as if a veil, a gauzy bandage, got between what he was showing us and what we thought we saw.
he had the air of a gardener, fussily protective of young seedlings, but we couldn't tell if he was hiding something or we simply couldn't see it.
at first we noticed there were often scraps of leaves on the floor where he had stood.
later, thin whisps of thread like spider's web fell from his jacket.
finally, we grew to understand the work.
and on that day he opened his jacket, to our surprise seemed lined with patterned fabric of many shimmering hues.
then he smiled and sighed.
and with this movement the lining rippled and instantly the room was filled with a flickering storm of swirling butterflies.
-dave calder-
