Burned by the beauty...

the lesson of the moth  by archy (Don Marquis)

---

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 to cease to

exist than to exist forever 

and never be a part of beauty

our attitude toward life

is to 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

archy

Thank you Erinys.

The racial pet for Draeneis are moths. I have collected them in every color, from every corner of Azeroth. They should be found near flames, lights, false and true (including Darkmoon eyes and lights of shadow). What I haven't had a chance to tell her yet is weeks ago I named a beautiful blue harpy after her, with a slight twist: Aerynys.