The Moth Poem

[[ar...]]

A poem from the book Archy and Mehitabel

by Don Marquis (1927)

 

 

i was talking to a moth

the other evening

he was trying to break into

an electric light bulb

and fry himself on the wires

 

why do you fellows

pull this stunt i asked him

because it is the conventional

thing for moths or why

if that had been an uncovered

candle instead of an electric

light bulb you would

now be a small unsightly cinder

have you no sense

 

plenty of it he answered

but at times we get tired

of using it

we get bored with the routine

and crave beauty

and excitement

fire is beautiful

and we know that if we get

too close it will kill us

but what does that matter

it is better to be happy

for a moment

and be burned up with beauty

than to live a long time

and be bored all the while

so we wad all our life up

into one little roll

and then we shoot the roll

 

that is what life is for

it is better to be a part of beauty

for one instant and then cease to

exist than to exist forever

and never be a part of beauty

our attitude toward life

is come easy go easy

we are like human beings

used to be before they became

too civilized to enjoy themselves

 

and before i could argue him

out of his philosophy

he went and immolated himself

on a patent cigar lighter

i do not agree with him

myself i would rather have

half the happiness and twice

the longevity

 

but at the same time i wish

there was something i wanted

as badly as he wanted to fry himself

 

[[Da...]]

That's quite a poem for 1927

 

Here's one of my favourites by Billy Collins

 

Forgetfulness

 

The name of the author is the first to go

followed obediently by the title, the plot,

the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel

which suddenly becomes one you have never read,

never even heard of,

 

as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor

decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,

to a little fishing village where there are no phones.

 

Long ago you kissed the names of the nine Muses goodbye

and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,

and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,

 

something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,

the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay.

 

Whatever it is you are struggling to remember,

it is not poised on the tip of your tongue,

not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.

 

It has floated away down a dark mythological river

whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall,

well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those

who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle.

 

No wonder you rise in the middle of the night

to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.

No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted

out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.

 

 

[[ih...]]

Love the moth poem.

 

The Billy Collins poem certainly makes benzo brain sound very romantic.

[[ar...]]

Hi iHope, How are you going ? Hope you got sorted after the storms, & have got further towards the goal of your dream hobby farm.

The moth poem is from Prof. Dutton's book: "The Wisdom of Psychopaths",  which makes interesting reading. We are off to Byron Blues Fest over Easter. It will  be too crowded but should be atmospheric & Byron has beautiful beaches & a sub tropical climate, which will be a change from Sydney.

[[ih...]]

Hi Arafura, I will check out that book. We usually do the Blues Fest but are going hiking in NZ, this year. Great line up at the festival this year, bummed to be missing Joan Armatrading especially. Enjoy.

 

We are still farmless, after just missing out on Currumbin valley, we slowed up a little but are actively hunting again now.

 

I am having a month 7 wave which is getting old, massive adrenaline surges & poor sleep. Have 2 days to get organised for our trip & am dragging my tail.

 

Hope you are well.

[[ar...]]

Hi 1hope ,

Hope you have a pleasant hiking holiday in N.Z. or "tramping " as hiking is called there. We drove around the South Island in 2009 & quite devoid of people, but beautiful, & drove through Queenstown where my son is always trying to get us to move to , as I used to ski  fairly often. However the NZ accent drives me crazy after awhile.  That Milford track is a popular tramping trip but very expensive for the catered version it's is like 5 K for 3 days for 2 people. Well gotta walk the dog now all the best with the house hunting & hiking.

Oh & we even got to Stewart island,, rather touristy & expensive for the boat across to it, from Invercargill.Are you going to both islands N & S ? My son has just been to Wellington on a work trip & says cost of living there is cheaper than Australia.

I am well enough always been a worrier & somewhat neurotic though .

Hope you are well too.