Moths and Butterflies

My childhood was full of debates

was a fox a kind of dog or a kind of cat
why are only baby ducks yellow
and how do they change colors anyways
how do blue and yellow mix to make green
which came first the chicken or the egg
why is it that wearing mittens
helped me sleep through cold nights
how do allergys work
why are mirrors not see through

but the one that stuck with me the longest was

moths and butterflies

my first impression was that moths were boy butterflies
but maybe they were old butterflies
then i found out certain caterpillars
grow up to be certain moths or certain butterflies
and then i wondered

do caterpillars know weather or not they will become a moth or a butterfly
do they get disappointed when they come out a moth

why do moths fly around at night if they like light so much

are butterflies cocky
why don't they fly around at night
can moths see in the dark better
are butterflies rude to moths

is that why moths only fly around at night

if i were a caterpillar
would i grow up to be a moth or a butterfly

nocturnal teenager jokes aside
I like night time
and i have never felt like a beautiful butterfly
maybe a slightly pretty moth
if I'm lucky
I'm not good at confrontation
and i enjoy naps in the sun

but it took me a long time to accept
that it's okay
to not be a butterfly
Because moths can be pretty too

Hearts and the color red

People paint on smiles 

Thick 

And red

Red

Like the blood 

We all still bleed

And the cartoon hearts we have all seen

And maybe it's because you think 

It shows you're human 

But blood isn't thick

And hearts were probably never even red anyways

Because I remember seeing one

 in a video in 5th grade

And I think it was really just a fleshy color

But I was a little too freaked out 

to pick up specifics 

But maybe that's all we are

 fleshy colored people

 inside and out

With a lot of red liquid that keeps our fragile little hearts beating

But we all still pretend our hearts are red Because red is strong 

And red is fearless

Because red gets things done

Because red is beautiful 

So we say our hearts are red

And we paint on red smiles

So people know

That we are strong 

Inside and out

But we are really pink

Not a cute pink 

A fleshy pale almost yellow pink

And I doubt we have ever been another color

But don't fear

Because we all still bleed red 

We all still bleed

Red

And just because our hearts aren't red 

Doesn't mean 

we don't have strength

 and courage

And love 

 flowing through our veins 

Because we do

And even though we are all 

just a little more human 

than we want to be

We can still be strong