The porch light stays on

The bulb had been dead for a week. I kept meaning to change it in daylight and then forgot, until one evening the step was just a darker shape.

The new bulb is the plain kind from the hardware shelf. I stood on the step after switching it on and waited. The moths found it before I went back inside.

I left it on when I locked the door. Not for anyone in particular. The street looks less empty with one square of light at the end of the path.