Leaving the Earth

--Vinod Kumar Shukla

Leaving the earth,

mounting the air,

does the bird know

that it’s the earth it is leaving?

To fly above it,

you really have to go high.

And when they return

to settle on trees

do birds know

that it’s the earth they’ve returned to?

I don’t have wings.

There’s a small yellow butterfly

flying above the earth.