he doesn't have a name, but I love him...

late yesterday afternoon

with one last look around the cottage before I locked up and headed home

something caught my eye

~

my breathing stopped for a moment

along with my feet

while

my eyes

soaked in the beauty of the moth resting before me

~

gently 

as if I were approaching a sleeping newborn 

I crouched down next to it only to realize 

it was hurt

~

one antenna had been ruffled 

and 

the edges of his wings were wilted 

I slowly picked him up

while he let out

 a whisper of a sigh

that sounded like

"thank you"

I walked back inside the cottage

and 

gently guided him into a small container 

and

then we headed for home

unable to fly

but with legs that could still crawl

I sat with him in my neighbor's back yard

and

watched him drink in sweet nectar

and

carefully

as his sticky legs gave in to a slower mode

I gently moved him from flower to flower

because 

this was a buffet I didn't want him to miss

too quickly

the sun the was setting

and

the temperature was sending a chill across the nape of my neck

~~

I easily picked him up

and

brought him inside with me

and

let him have his way with a bouquet of flowers in my kitchen 

that unfortunately seemed terribly boring to him

after being outside

later

after 

"so you think you can dance"

I walked into the kitchen to check on him 

and 

he had traveled up the blinds and was sitting at the top of the window looking down on me

so I let him be

~~

right before bed

I peeked at him one more time

and

he was up on the kitchen ceiling molding

and

I told him goodnight

as I turned off the lights

~~

first thing

this morning

he was still on my mind

and

I panicked a little

as

I couldn't find him anywhere

~~

and

then when the sun came dancing in the windows

there he was on the back side of the blinds

basking in the sunshine 

with only his shadow saying

"hello"

and

that's where he's been all day

~~

in a little bit

we're going back outside

and

getting in the buffet line

*