Firefly
Lover of darkness, lit
from within,
you show your flash
of abdomen, an ember
of warning
or attraction.
Luminous beetle, slow
meteor, you illuminate
the short hours
from summer dusk
to hard midnight.
You know
the taste of pollen,
sweet nectar, on your
tongue. You remember
a winter of darkness.
These weeks are
yours to kindle,
to burn. And though
the speed of light
is fixed, I can catch you,
gently, wonder at
the green and gold
and black of you.
I can release
you, to disappear,
to soar or fall
against firmament.
(from Within/Without, 2005)
