As I cross the threshold back in my apartment, a yellow and brown speckled form catches my eye. I pause, foot hovering as I get a better look, and without thinking blurt: "Oh! Aren't you gorgeous?"
It's an unexpected encounter, but not an unpleasant one: a moth is sprawled out on my doormat. I will later learn that it's an imperial moth, which means in some ways I was blessed with a royal encounter.
I let my dog off his leash and turn back around, squatting over the moth's prone form. They don't move or stir. I try to be optimistic and hope they are only just tired from flying with wings so large. I find myself instead leaning towards pessimism, thinking they are probably dying.
After taking a picture, I pocket my phone and scoop them into my hand. They flutter a little, which I find reassuring, and I decide that lying on my doormat is perhaps not the safest harbor for them. I carefully carry them around the corner to one of my potted plants, depositing them to rest there.
Later, when I find them gone, I hope that it is because they were able to fly away and not because some other creature decided they would make for a tasty snack.
This short but rich exploration of a moment, and encounter, begins and ends unexpectedly. I love the imagery of royalty and the reverence that you have for this insect. And the image helped me because I've never seen an Imperial moth - beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThe moth IS gorgeous - such patterning on those wings. Love the acknowledgment of being blessed with a royal encounter. Since no traces remain, it seems your winged messenger returned to its own realm after bestowing such grace.
ReplyDeleteI love the patters on the wings. Your word choice is powerful, and I feel like I am there in that royal scene.
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