Mothologue (Moth Monologue) | Teen Ink

Mothologue (Moth Monologue)

July 31, 2019
By thefitnessgrampacertest SILVER, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
thefitnessgrampacertest SILVER, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
6 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
I am a part of the part that at first was all, part of the darkness that gave birth to light, that supercilious light which now disputes with Mother Night her ancient rank and space, and yet can not succeed; no matter how it struggles, it sticks to
matter and can't get free. Light flows from substance, makes it beautiful; solids can check its path, so I hope it won't be long till light and the world's stuff are destroyed together. (Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut)


I wish to get better.

For a lack of better words, it’s transverse orientation.

Using a light source to guide movement

I am a moth.

Screaming for a sign that things are going to be all right,

Constantly flying towards the light,

Using this hope of happiness to guide me back to mental stability.

And maybe I will face the fate of a moth.

Flying towards the sky,

Only to confuse artificial light with moonlight,

Distracted by the promise of happiness.

So much that it loses sight of the celestial light

And meets its fate,

Trapped in this artificial light.

Here I am distracted by hope of returning to how happy I was in the past,

Forgetting that I will never reach my potential

Trying to be someone I used to be.

Is it now impossible to escape?

And chase the moon instead?

No, it is not impossible.

I must keep the joys of the past precious,

Yet believe that the joys of the future will be more fulfilling.

I am no longer a moth caught in a streetlight.

I am a moth that is in an ultimate pursuit of the moon,

Or in simpler terms, a bright future.


The author's comments:

Transverse orientation is keeping a stable angle towards a light source in order to find direction. This is mainly used by insects, such as moths. The idea of this poem is that we tend to walk towards the light. Whether you choose to walk towards the light of the past or light of the future is entirely your decision. When writing this I was reading Peter Wohlleben's "The Secret Wisdom of Nature." So, thank you, Peter, for giving me the idea and the ways that us humans are like moths.


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