The Nature of Moths

[eredien]

The summer moth
in its grey velvet
dancing the
night away
underneath the lamps
goes to ground in the morning.

When you touch
the summer moth
it stirs off its
tree trunk
and dissipates into the air
a piece of bark
or scrap of velvet
matching
grey
come to life.

When you touch
the winter moth
it does not stir
and lies
cold
hard
and frail
against the tree
or flakes off
dead
catch it in your hands
frail
its wings
flutter shear break
in the wind.

A man today
in the paper
held an unexploded cluster bomb
in his hands
(frail as a moth)
as gentle
as the hands
of winter.