Imitation Is The Sincerest Form of Flattery

It's been said that immitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The following two poems illustrate that statement. Almost twenty years ago, I met a gentleman at a poetry convention in Washington, D.C. I had a sales table for my books and he stopped and visited for a while. That same evening, I got on a tour bus for an after dark tour of D.C. As I started down the aisle I saw him sitting alone so I sat down and we visited some more.
He was Spanish teacher who had inherited a little money. He was encouraging his students, who were from different countries, and spoke different languages to work together. They would write a poem or essay in their own language, and they published them in a magazine called Passport. The original piece in his or her native language would appear on the left page, and the opposite page would hold the same piece, translated into English. Students who were not into writing would illustrate the pages with beautiful pencil drawings. He used his small inheritance to pay for the printing of the magazine. I was greatly impressed with his dedication to his students.
I had just published my first book. so we agreed to get together after the tour and show off our accomplishments. He bought my book and I bought the two issues of Passport that he had with him and paid for the upcoming issue.
Time passed and I heard nothing from him until one day, I received a packet in the mail from New Jersey. It contained the magazine for which I had paid, along with newspaper clippings about his students. Passport had won National awards and much acclaim.
I thought, "You aren't so smart!" So I sent him a copy of a new poetry magazine, called Portals which I had just created, he subscribed. The rest, as they say, is history.
We became great friends. He visited me here in Wenatchee, and met my husband. I visited him In Audubon, New Jersey. I travelled with him (with my husband's approval) to Hawaii (for the Maui Writers Conference), San Diego, Pennsylvania, New York, etc. He travelled with me to Spokane, Seattle, Grand Coulee, Vancouver and Bridgeport, Washington, for poetry readings. and other work related activities. We even wrote a book together, "Dueling Poets", and I published three books for him.
The Butterfly With a Wrinkled Wing came about because he actually saw, in his back yard a group of butterflies who seemed to be ignoring another butterfly. He thought to himself ' that poor little fellow must have bad breath.' Later, his students pointed out that he was really writing about himself, since he had lost all his hair at the age of 26 and it never returned.
"The Envious Butterfly" was, of course a reaction to his poem, which stemmed from my own insecurity as a child, and always wanting to be somebody else. We became unofficial partners.