The monarch stalks the territory,
Mountain to dock, with such fever.
That sparrow’s chin:
Fuchsia seed in the meadow.
Caterpillars tolerant of the rings
Once spread wide in the wood.
The hood over the crater
Erupts before it can fall.
Cut, zig, and fire. The golden island
Sweetens the swamp.
Edibles, on average,
Swap crowns with native flora.
On edges, reclaimed: irises, half-
Giant nettles. The anise was just for show.
S.D. Dillon is a poet from Michigan with an MFA from Notre Dame. His poetry has appeared recently in The Southern Quill, Strange Daze, pioneertown, and Poetry Super Highway, and he received the 2025 Visual Poetry Award from Bacopa Literary Review. He can be found on Instagram at @sddillon50.