Your drawer, jam-packed with knitwear and a very hungry moth
Will cause you almost certainly considerable wrath
It’s the inconspicuous Molly, who with clandestine delight
Attacks your cherished cashmere until deep into the night.

She started her lifecycle as an egg on a small leaf
Then matured onto the next stage with such obvious relief
As she hatched into a larva without any help at all
She had to eat her eggshell – for her first nutritious haul.

The next part of her journey was to form a safe cocoon
Then hang around judiciously till it seemed more opportune
Once released from her snug bubble, she fluffed up her tiny wing
And set herself to find a mate for her first romantic spring.

She’s not deliberately out to spoil your most prestigious piece
She just requires a cosy spot to chomp away in peace
You won’t catch her in the daytime, cos she doesn’t like the light,
But never underestimate her progress in the night.

If you want to send our Molly to her caring, heavenly Maker
Just pop your garment in the stove and you can gently bake her
She won’t survive the ordeal and maybe your garment neither
But at least she won’t offload her countless children on you either.

Photo: Pexels.com / Anthony

Copyright: Rosemary McGuire