Sphinx-Moth Poem by Mark Heathcote

Insects such as the nocturnal sphinx-moth
Pollinate these flowers, these stars
What are we if not nocturnal flowers-
Ourselves in our, own lunar cycles
We are the: Night Bloom Water Lilies.
The Night Gladiolus, Moon Flowers,
A naked man, a sitting figure, hands-on head.
Body leant forwards, feet together
Legs outstretched. Elbows on knees
Where the shadows fall, we now see
Eye sockets and an open jaw.
He looks for the world like a skull
When pictured moonlight lit from above
But he too is just a flower in need of love.
He too is a nocturnal sphinx-moth
Waiting to pollinate his nocturnal flowers.