Hi everyone,

You’ve seen this poem before. THE PURCHASE OF SMALL SECRETS was published in 1998 by Boyds Mills Press in. It is the story of a butterfly collector with a problem. It was based on me and the butterfly I wanted was a blue hair streak.

Yesterday I watered the plants outdoors and got my sandals wet. When I sat down to rest, this blue hair streak landed on a sandal to get a little bit of moisture on a hot afternoon. It brought back memories of that day when I was 12 and standing in a pasture before a smelly cow pie, net over my shoulder, horn rim glasses sliding down my sweaty nose, wondering how to swoop up the jewels.
Cow Pie Jewels Plop in the middle of the path a cow patty bigger than a dinner plate Smelly pie sizzling with blowfly raisins Melting in the sun How can your charm these butterflies these dainty jewels in sky-blue tights to dance around such disgusting pastry? My net at the ready I stand pondering how to swoop up the jewels And leave the pie. (c) 1998 David L. Harrison, all rights reserved