Typewriter Rodeo: Fireflies

Each week, the Standard reaches out to Austin’s Typewriter Rodeo for a custom poem on Texas topics.

By Sean PetrieApril 22, 2021 9:35 am, ,

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.

a photo of the typewritten poem

typewriter rodeo logo

Typewriter Rodeo airs each Friday on Texas Standard. Send us your ideas for a poem on FacebookTwitter, or send us an email.

Typewriter Rodeo is also available anytime in podcast form.

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