Call them lightning bugs or fireflies – whatever you prefer they are sign of warmer weather in Texas. This Typewriter Rodeo poem was inspired by a listener request.
Fireflies
When these days shorten
And stretch into night
Oh when that happens
Just wait, sit tight
As your eyes adjust
To the gloaming dark
There, in the corner
A tiny spark!
A blink, it’s gone
And then your eyes roam
Searching the darkness
Was it out there alone?
Ah no – there’s another!
There’s one high, and one low!
Like a strand of faeries
Hanging lights as they go
Like the stars have dropped down
To swoop and to swish
If you catch one, release it –
And then make a wish
It’s my favorite season
When the nighttime gleams —
A backyard of stars
A skyfull of dreams.