Yesterday morning I spent 3 hours at Sachuest Point in Middletown RI talking with giant waves. They were giant and green and blue and white and gold with beautiful arcs and curves, and they’d crest and crash and spray and thunder and boil and froth and dissolve, and I would do all this with them. I stood as near as I could without endangering myself, wanting to feel their energy and power. I was flooded and transported! I held my arms out wide and danced and complimented them on their beauty. I would say to a wave: “Wow! You are SO beautiful”!
I have total respect for the sea, and for waves, but I want to be near them. I wanted to be the Cormorant, who was right inside of them. Where I was yesterday I saw a number of Monarch Butterflies floating around Sachuest Point, seemingly flying through the stiff breezes with little effort, almost lazily, which is how Monarchs usually seem. But then two Monarchs found each other. I believe one was a female giving off pheremones, and the other was a Male, giving chase. This was no lazy affair. She was rapidly diving and swooping on a dime with him in hot pursuit, up, down, under, over, tumbling through space. It was a rapid, highly intense, zigzagging dance which seemed to be all there was for them.
They went out over the water and continued this hyperactive pursuit right out among the foam and waves. Several times I saw the splashing foam touch their delicate bodies and was amazed they didn’t get swamped and subsumed. I called: “Look out! There’s another big wave coming!”, but they paid no heed. They only cared about each other as they dangerously and recklessly dove and swooped in among the crashing and chaotic waters. A big wave (8-10 feet high) came over them, cresting above them, and it looked completely hopeless. Somehow though, one of them emerged from the watery chaos, but the other disappeared into the sea. The remaining one continued to dip and dive over the ever-changing spot where she (I believe) went down barely evading additional waves. I have done things in my life with similar reckless abandon (and have many broken bones and missing brain cells to show for it), but never to the death!!! I admire them deeply for that, and I learned something totally new about Monarchs, which I have loved for many years.
On the walk back to my car I found a Monarch caterpillar on Milkweed, and I ran my finger lightly down its body. Its color pattern was white-black-white-black-white-yellow, repeat. I was glad that a Monarch had made another Monarch, and I want the Earth to always have Monarchs floating upon it.
Oen Kennedy 
Beautifully said Oen, and a great reminder that ‘going through the motions’ is not what life is about.
Oh, I love monarch butterflies and miss having them here. Last year I saw a total of two all summer. The last time I hatched two monarch butterflies I found the caterpillars on Vinalhaven and brought them home. When they hatched I placed both on my bean tree where they basked in the sun drying their wings. Such stunning creatures and I am sure that one of them waved goodbye when I wished them godspeed.