the moth

there was a boy

with a moth in his heart.

it grew each day

until it wasn't just a part.

the moth filled him whole,

emerging from the breaking heart,

incandescent, glowing gold.

flying up to depart

leaving the boy alone

to fall apart.

turning to stone, the boy whispered

"why must my heart be a creature that cannot be contained?"

the moth heard the boys despair,

flying back it settled over the cavity left

on the chest of the statue.

it sobbed in remorse and questioned

"how can i be a moth in want of

inexorable freedom yet have to be

a waiting heart?"

then, it went and crawled into the hollow.

the gods saw the moths quandary

and felt they could not let it wallow.

as the moth wept over its former owner,

it allowed the stone to grow and swallow.

the glow from the inside grew,

engulfing the statue.

suddenly, the boy was once again

with the flutter of a small moth

in his heart.

Author's Note

Not sure how much sense this makes but I had fun writing it! I was inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses since I've been reading it recently