In the Chrysalis

We grow in darkness

In the space between seconds

In the transition from the unknown

To the comprehensible

We grow as people

As lovers

As friends

We find ourselves walking anew

As seasons change from one day to the next

But the many faces we wear

Are there for us to grasp

In the dark we leave behind

In the Chrysalis

Esther Fisher

Photography + Poetry

2022

I’ve been to Scotland twice this year and both trips mean something different. The same city became something else to me. On the first trip I was trying to let go of someone. The second I grew closer to someone else. It’s fascinating how things can change.

This piece was taken during the 2022 Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The darkness surrounding the monarch butterflies, paired with the lighting created an ethereal atmosphere. It was absolutely mesmerizing. We never think of butterflies being in the dark, but when their wings form, they’re surrounded by darkness. There is beauty that grows in darkness, though our eyes are too weak to see it. To see such beauty, in the dimmest light is a blessing, and a reminder to embrace the growth that comes in the darkness.

Esther Fisher is a graduate of York University with a BA in English and Creative Writing. She is also a graduate of the Humber School for Writers. She enjoys ballroom dancing, singing at the top of her lungs when no one is around and taking walks through the local ravine. In her spare time, she writes poetry when she’s not trying to plot a novel.

Instagram: @13feathers_and_keys