Moths and butterflies

go about their work
stoically in grey suits
or grimy blue overalls
pollinating flowers
feed birds and frogs
need fur coats for warmth
working the graveyard shift

Butterflies are showy socialites
sipping nectar at
A-list cocktail parties
all show. no substance.
superficial in their beauty
mwah-mwahing insincere air kisses
to the Beautiful Pupae.


Moths are the working class

waiting for the revolution


rob walker
© 2003, 2011


Originally published in the UK’s Limestone Magazine, this poem later won the Royal Institution of Australia’s Science Poetry Award in 2011.
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