Moths

John Muro

Brushed from evening’s attic,
A profusion of powdered hues –
Rain-softened green, citron
Yellow and a dusky-gray bleeding
To blue – fluttering like clouds
Of dust illuminated by the throw
Of light, eager to expose their wings
And tiny contusions of body to the
Black burst of bats or the fatigued
Flame tucked behind a small
Sanctuary of glass. They’re like
Lovers returning again and again,
Unable to wrench their puddled
Bodies from light as if, sulfur
Struck, they’ll soon ignite in
An embrace of mute sacrifice.
And yet who among us has not
Sought to make our way at night-
Fall in long, unattended flights,
With appendages fashioned from
Hope or anguish, in blind pursuit
Of some bright yet fatal ending?

John is a resident of Connecticut and a lover of all things chocolate. He is a two-time, 2021 Pushcart Prize nominee, 2022 Best of the Net nominee, and his first book of poems, In the Lilac Hour, was published by Antrim House in 2020, and it is available on Amazon. John’s poems have been published in numerous literary journals and anthologies, including Barnstorm, Valparaiso Review, Euphony, Grey Sparrow, Moria, River Heron, Sky Island and the French Literary Review. His second volume of poems, Pastoral Suite, was published last spring and it, too, is available on Amazon. You can reach John on Instagram @johntmuro.