First Firefly of the Season
I spotted my first firefly of the season
it was between downpours
dark skies, damp air,
drops dangling, dripping from liquid laden leaves
the bright green glow pulses
sends slight, steady signals
an encrypted code I cannot crack
because I did not yet hatch
stumble step to steady stance
or uncurl worried wings
so I feign flight
ballet balance atop barometric breezes
ballet balance atop barometric breezes
and wait
and wait
for fire flash to fray the fabric folded in fractals,
where I hope to find firmament’s faint form
and wait
for fire flash to fray the fabric folded in fractals,
where I hope to find firmament’s faint form
21 thoughts on "First Firefly of the Season"
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I feel this flicker of this poem!
Thanks, Linda! The flicker I saw definitely inspired this one. ✨️
Love love “dark skies, damp air, /
drops dangling, dripping from liquid laden leaves”
So many wonderful sounds in this one. Nicely done.
Thanks, Bill! It was exciting to see the lone bugs light flash in the yard. I felt like a little kid in the moment. I tried to capture the feeling in this one.
*bug’s
yes, the flicker in the “f” sounds in the first line and last stanza and the “b” sounds in “ballet balance atop barometric breezes.” I also like the way the “and wait/ and wait” captures the anticipation between the light
Thank you, Gaby! I literally watched and waited to see the second and third flashes. I audibly gasped when I saw them! The waiting was worth it. Thank you for reading! 💜
I like the waiting here – the code that cannot be cracked *yet
Thank you, Arwen! Oh, the waiting was too real in the moment. We had some serious downpours and thunderous skies yesterday evening. I was getting ready to let the dog out, and there it was– the tiny flash! I watched and waited, and that little bug signaled twice more. It was delightful. 💜
We’ve had some here already, but yes! They were out to play in the storm last night here too.
Love the interplay between that, the rain, your attention captured, and the deeper questions it spoke.
Thanks, Joseph.
Enjoyed your poem.
Thanks, John. Glad you enjoyed this one.
You had me at: “first firefly” between downpours/dark skies, damp air,/drops dangling, dripping
love: the bright green glow pulses
sends slight, steady signals
an encrypted code I cannot crack
Powerful ending (the Fs drive it well)
fire flash to fray the fabric folded in fractals,
where I hope to find firmament’s faint form
Many thanks, Pam! This poem was written by pure chance. I was bouncing a completely different idea around and then the break in the rain led me outside. It was a small, but lovely moment. Thanks for reading!
Amazing alliteration!
An enlightening poem 🙂
Thanks, Bud! Glad you found some enlightenment in this one. Thanks for reading!
Great turn,
Great line.
“an encrypted code I cannot crack”
And then “feign flight”
And we dance to the finish.
😀 someone once told me that catching fireflies in a jar is like a mass alien abduction at a disco.
Lol…..we all know the blinking is a love song 😀
I love the alien abduction disco visual. That may be the start of a new poem. 😆 Thanks for reading, Coleman!
A pleasure to read, but I especially love “the bright green glow pulses/sends slight, steady signals/an encrypted code I cannot crack…”
Thank you, Shaun! Yeah, their little flashes are like a tiny visual version of Morse code.