Dian Duchin Reed
Seeing the Point
A strange moth rests on the outside of the screen door, its wings disguised as a little brown stick and its abdomen ending in an upturned flourish that resembles the toe of a folk-dancing shoe.
There must have been some good reason that shoes decided to end in a curve, but now, thousands of years later, no one remembers. Nevertheless, like a snowball picking up mass as it rolls downhill, curly toes grew to extreme lengths that bestowed status on the so-shod. And of course the more impressive the curl, the more gold and silver and jewels were required to adorn the shoes, with each glimmering thread and gleaming emerald shouting, Wealthy! Fashionable!
By the time this Turkish-slipper rumination ends, the moth has flown away. The wings may look like a brown stick, but they still remember why they’re there. Nature (and fashion) may take fantastic, delightful, even unbelievable forms. At bottom, though—one way or another—it’s always about survival.
Golden Gate Bridge the fog begins to lift
About the Author
Dian Duchin Reed is an award-winning writer whose poems, articles, essays, and photographs have appeared in many publications. Her books include Medusa Discovers Styling Gel (poetry) and Dao De Jing: Laozi’s Timeless Wisdom (translated from the Chinese). Learn more at dianduchinreed.com