as a little boy i’d wait
for summer evening skies
to be filled with fireflies
and gazed in fascination
as their tails lit up the night.
and running barefoot on cool grass
would catch them in my hands,
and lucky enough to find one in my grasp
would peek between gently closed
fingers to see its pale glow
shine on innocent palms
yet to cause harm
in this fragile world
we reluctantly
call home.
