Chrysalis
by Tom Leonard
To Jim Liddle (1956-2023)
In love and gratitude
With acknowledgements to Rev. Bill Taylor
On becoming a butterfly,
A caterpillar breaks free from its bonds,
Like a leaf turns into a tree,
And flies into golden ponds,
Like a child chrysalises into the adult
They wanna be.
You can evolve into the great artist,
Newtonian polymath,
Celtic footballer,
Or river dancer of your dreams;
Even when you fall flat on your backside,
And make a pig's ear of everything
Just shut you eyes and see.
Welcome is a lamb that becomes a lion,
Who defies the locusts of repression,
Who stands for the vulnerable, and the weak,
Who tries to climb the spiritual peaks.
You, too, can chrysalise into your fantasy;
Just imagine, and wait and see;
You have the insights of a Confucius of old;
Just break free.
Jim was an insecure youth,
But rose like a butterfly
To become a man of Christian stature
In fair Embro's LGBT community.
Unfazed by the Pharisees,
He spread Christ's message with integrity and dignity
Convenor of LGCM, Advocate of Scotland's Outright,
Member of famed Gay Centre on Broughton St,
He cared for the vulnerable and was loved by all, and me.
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