he came towards me in the darkness
as though just walking by
his eyes were large and luminous
and he wore a butterfly tie
and those butterflies were moving
rhythmically pulsing things
that drew my eyes towards them
towards their moving wings
and suddenly they were flying
I could hear the wind sigh
as they whirled and swirled
and I heard the stranger cry
and shiver and quiver and fade
then just a pile of cloth
was where he'd stood
and a large and luminous moth
an awesome yet
enthralling sight
was climbing away
up into the night
and I stood there bewildered
and fearful in that lane
wondering and doubting
if I were still sane
I still don't know
to this very day
but that memory will
just not go away
these dark nights now
I never walk alone
the night is full of perils
for a being on its own