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The Weight of the Life of a Moth
by Jon-Jacob F DealThis morning when I got in the shower
I noticed a small, brown fleck of debris
Against the off-white porcelain
I turned the knob and rain spilled down
To my surpise, the fleck grew wings
I didn't turn it off again
In that morbid spell of clarity
I could see each frantic leg
Six stalks scrabbling uselessly
Against the eddies, whirling warm
Suddenly, my water-beaten shoulders
Sagged with responsibility;
It was the leaden feather
Of the weight
Of the life
Of a moth.
As if I was the drowning one,
A vision flashed before my eyes
For a moment, I was outside myself
I saw me naked, scooping out
The moth onto the gritty tiles
A simple act of decency,
To let the poor thing dry its wings
But in the moment, I wasn't me
In that moment, I was God
Then I blinked, and the moment was gone
And I stood gaping and did nothing
Even as the struggling creature
Washed away between my feet.
I felt bad
But I didn't turn around
I couldn't watch, but I imagine that the ruined moth
Kept flailing all the way out of life
Down into the yawning silver lips
Of the bathtub drain. 06/24/2004 Posted on 06/24/2004
Copyright © 2025 Jon-Jacob F Deal
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Vikki Owens on 06/24/04 at 04:36 PM this is an excellent write. not only because everyone has had that moment, and felt the same, but because its excecuted beautifully. good job. |
| Posted by Meghan Helmich on 07/22/08 at 08:44 PM this makes me incredibly sad. but what a poem. very very good. |
| Posted by Linda Fuller on 02/05/18 at 10:07 PM Every time I step into the shower I think of this poem. |
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