Spider And Moth Poem by Tan Pratonix

In front of the mirror, tilted downward,
Clad in a slip and plaiting her hair,
Black-brown tresses silk-shining, the girl sits
Absorbed in the silence.

The shaded bulb sheds pale lemony light
Slipping down the wall behind her, down the picture
Of marigolds blooming, a brown-speck spider
Crouched near the frilled sleeve
Of the blue party gown on its hanger...

When it happens!
Out of the shadows beneath the gown, a pair
Of light-bark wings blunder upward, strike
The hanger, sleeve, and fold.
The brown speck rushes, an infinitesmal scrunch,
And moth-wings beat, blood breaks
On a wild white shore...I am watching
An agony, a wonder.