Kma
Moths
The Moth
by Kma
I like moths. And to an extent, moths are creatures that parallel humans.
Heh. I've just realised how much that will annoy people. Darksiders tend to want to be associated with predators - the hawk, wolf, bear, dragon, phoenix, even spider. Lightsiders tend also to want association with powerful creatures, ironically enough often the same animals as the Darksiders but for different reasons. No one wants to be compared to the humble fragility of the moth.
There is a moth resting on a stack of papers on my desk. It is a soft tan-beige colour, hardly the glossy brown of a falcon or the menacing grey of the wolf. Its body is covered in a soft down and hidden under its wings, which are fragile and powdery, marked in a subtle pattern of browns. Its antennae are feathery, twitching. Its eyes are large and dark. It doesn't rest long; it soon flies away - not with the smooth soar of an eagle but its wind-buffeted flutter.
Certainly, no one wants to think of themselves as this moth, so easily crushed and crumbled. Yet moths we are. Humans too are fragile, our lives fluttering with brief beauty. We possess no armour for our bodies, no teeth or claws. We cannot survive heat or cold, the wet and the dry. Compared to many animals our senses are laughable. The shark who can sense 1 part of blood in a million of water. The bat who communicates in sounds too high, and the elephant who communicates in sounds too low for our ears. The hawk who can see its prey from a mile in the air. The cheetah, famous for its bursts of speed. We are frail beings, not the creatures of strength and speed we imagine ourselves to be.
There is another reason for our similarity. Moths are infamously drawn towards the light, as anyone who has sat in a lighted room with an open window will know. They are creatures of the night, yet are drawn to the bright bright light, something that will destroy them. They flutter too close to a lamp and burn their wings.
Maybe moths are unaware of their self-destructive nature, just as many humans are. Because we all have weak spots from where we can be destroyed, driven mad, driven to death even. Maybe you're like the moth, and drawn to things that you know will harm you. Maybe not. And this is where humans and moths differ. Despite everything, humans have the ability to examine themselves and know themselves fully, to become aware of everything that is strong and weak about themselves. And knowing where your weaknesses lie is the first step to not letting your weaknesses from becoming your downfall.
*shamelessly ripping off Tennesee William's theme - A Streetcar Named Desire*
Kma