Ernie

I had a little moth
his name was Ernie
He flew through a flame
and Ernie burny
we'd say the words and giggle like mad
at our cleverness
and chase each other
in those child-days

Those innocent times
when life was full of smells
and out-of-breathness
before we knew
that Dad drank too much
and Mom wept quietly in the garden
when we weren't there
and dried her eyes for us

Then we all grew up somehow
a little at a time
Not so quickly as to crash
but through a time of bumpy landings
learning how it was
and how it is
and how it will be
and how we all are moths named Ernie