It's the third Thursday of the month so I'd like to welcome you to A Gathering of Poetry. June seems to be the perfect time for a poem about fireflies, so that's what I'm sharing. I've been seeing them for a week or two and now I look for them every night.
These Fireflies
by Sue Owen
by Sue Owen
Now we see them, then
now we don't, these
tiny stars whose only hope
is that they will outlast
the night, if they stick
to it and burn, if they
blink again in the face
of the blind darkness.
And whose will will
win after all as these
fireflies dot and scamp
and burn there, trying
to show us that light
and smallness matter,
even if their own glowing
will soon fade out of sight?
Even if dimness plans
to step in and put out
their gay flit of fire?
We who watch them know
that it is their burning
that always wins, as brief
as it is, as fragile, and
that this kind of magic
stuns even the old crawling
night that dozes, as the
fireflies dance above it,
as if to light its dream.
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Thanks for reading and joining us for our monthly Gathering of Poetry. You are more than welcome to add your link below if you would like to share one of your favorite poems. The more the merrier!
I love seeing fireflies (or firebums as Jane's grandson named them). It's true that they always seem magical to me.
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet seen any this year (but I also haven't been out yet when it's been dark enough for them). Perhaps I will make a point to go out tonight to see if there are any "firebums" out!
ReplyDeleteWhat a magical way to think about fireflies! I love the last lines... "as the fireflies dance above it, as if to light its dreams."
ReplyDeleteI will be hoping to see a few fireflies this summer!
Oh, I haven't seen any yet this year. We used to see (and catch) so many when I was a kid!
ReplyDeleteHere in the south, I grew up calling them lightning bugs, which seems a harsh name for such ethereal creatures. I have been sitting out in the porch in the dark and watching them lately. They always give me an intense sense of wonder. I have always wanted to go to East TN to see the variety that all light at the same time. Thank you for this lovely poem. Surgery went great, BTW, although it is a bit challenging to post using a magnifying glass. LOL
ReplyDeleteOne year my entire backyard was covered in lightening bugs as we call them here. I've never seen so many. The sky was filled with them. It was so surreal that I thought it was a dream. The Mister saw them too so I have a witness to that crazy night. Every year I hope to see them do that again but they never have.
ReplyDeleteSeveral decades ago some scientists at my husband's company were doing research on luciferin-luciferase (the chemical reaction that lightning bugs use for bioluminescence). They were paying for lightning bugs so my kids spent the summer collecting as many as possible. I remember a night like the one you describe, so I'm a believer!
Deletewow, I can't remember the last time I saw fireflies "dance" - what a perfect poem for this Summer Solstice!
ReplyDeletebeautiful!! My childhood was spent catching and releasing lightening bugs (fireflies). Such good memories!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely June poem. One night last week, I went for a walk with my daughter and two grandchildren to look at the fireflies.
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