Samuel T. Franklin
The Dead Moth
Yellow and purple, a bruise
atop the shortgrass. Near the oak
where a thick green caterpillar
fell grassward last fall
like a wish thrown to wild chance.
The same, perhaps.
Or perhaps not.
The wind doesn't care. It ruffles
the furry abdomen, twitches the wings
in a mockery of flight, the still body
now more like a strange seed.
Its wish, maybe, all along.
Bio
Samuel T. Franklin is the author of two books of poetry: Bright Soil, Dark Sun (2019) and The God of Happiness (2016). A 2018 Best of the Net nominee, he resides in Bloomington, Indiana, where he works as a content developer. When he is not writing, he enjoys making useful things out of wood scraps and losing staring contests to his cats. He can be found at samueltfranklin.com.