Monday, February 10, 2014

"the lesson of the moth," by Don Marquis


the lesson of the moth

- Don Marquis

 

1                     i was talking to a moth                                                         50           but at the same time i wish               

2                     the other evening                                                                51           there was something i wanted

3                     he was trying to break into                                                52           as badly as he wanted to fry himself

4                     an electric light bulb                                                          

5                     and fry himself on the wires                                                                                              -archy

 

6                     why do you fellows

7                     pull this stunt i asked him

8                     because it’s the conventional

9                     thing for moths or why

10                 if that had been an uncovered

11                 candle instead of an electric

12                 light bulb you would

13                 now be a small unsightly cinder

14                 have you no sense

 

15                 plenty of it he answered

16                 but at times we get tired

17                 of using it

18                 we get bored with the routine

19                 and crave beauty

20                 and excitement

21                 fire is beautiful

22                 and we know that if we get

23                 too close it will kill us

24                 but what does that matter

25                 it is better to be happy

26                 for a moment

27                 and be burned up with beauty

28                 than to live a long time

29                 and be bored all the while

30                 so we wad all our life up

31                 into one little roll

32                 and then we shoot the roll

33                 that is what life is for

34                 it is better to be a part of beauty

35                 for one instant and then to cease to

36                 exist than to exist forever

37                 and never be part of beauty

38                 our attitude toward life

39                 is to come easy go easy

40                 we are like human beings

41                 used to be before they became

42                 too civilized to enjoy themselves

 

43                 out of his philosophy

44                 he went and immolated himself

45                 on a patent cigar lighter

46                 i do not agree with him

47                 myself i would rather have

48                 half the happiness and twice

49                 the longevity

No comments:

Post a Comment