Once upon a time, there lived an unremarkable moth.
'Do you know something?' said the moth, asking himself a rhetorical question as he mused on the complexities of life. 'I've been captivated by the light of that candle for what seems like forever. Like a moth to a flame, indeed. But now I look at it again, I really don't know what I found so fascinating. It's just a flickering light, and not a very impressive one at that.'
The moth paused for a moment to ponder this revelation. It was, after all, the only thought he'd ever had throughout his short and entirely uneventful existence, and he was going to make the most of it while it lasted.
Then, with a weary sigh, the unremarkable moth fluttered upwards into the cold night air and returned to bashing himself senselessly against the window pane, in his obsessive pursuit of the magical light from the unreachable candle. It was going to be a long, long night.
I suggest you open the window. Poor unremarkable moth.
Posted by: Carla | April 12, 2006 at 08:04 PM
Absolutely not! If he opens the window the moth will surely fly straight to the fire. Give the poor moth some chance of survival.
Posted by: lulu | April 12, 2006 at 08:32 PM
This is a lovely post, Andre.
Posted by: cheerful one | April 13, 2006 at 06:37 AM
Sounds like life here sometimes. 3rd world politicians.
Posted by: guyana-gyal | April 13, 2006 at 06:59 AM
Andre, what a superb post. I think it truly sums up the nature of the human condition, and in a thoughtful, original and above all moth-like way. Thank you.
Posted by: Vaughan | April 13, 2006 at 07:26 AM
Cheerful one + vaughan= you are too kind [copy and paste]
Posted by: andre | April 13, 2006 at 08:14 AM
For a moment there it looked like the unremarkable moth had 'seen the light'
but he had only seen...er.. a light.
(that really was very well written Andre, I commend you sir).
Posted by: Robin | April 13, 2006 at 11:21 AM
All this 'human condition' stuff is all very well, but I just read this to my baby as her bedtime story and now she's really alarmed about going to sleep.
Bah.
Posted by: JonnyB | April 13, 2006 at 02:15 PM
jonny, what the hell are you doing reading anything on a beautiful revolution to a child - God I hope you haven't shown her any of my 'cartoons'?
Posted by: andre | April 13, 2006 at 03:42 PM
Thanks for the awesome post!
Posted by: socioecoboy | April 13, 2006 at 07:51 PM
This reminds me of Don Marquis,
http://www.donmarquis.com/readingroom/archybooks/moth.html
Posted by: kermit | April 14, 2006 at 01:41 AM
Don't go into the light!
Posted by: Clare | April 14, 2006 at 05:29 AM
I find nothing wrong in letting the Moth to encounter the light. Painful, yes- but a mysterious moth-ritual as well.
Posted by: Carla | April 14, 2006 at 08:45 PM
I'm enjoying your blog and postcards, very much.
This piece is especially poigniant.
Posted by: Kristina | April 15, 2006 at 07:37 PM