POEM - Firefly Comes to Visit

Half asleep I heard you talking

Saying something about fireflies

You could see them

Just outside the window

Every so often

I rolled over to look

I didn’t see fireflies

I saw the lit up neighbor’s yard

Glimpsed a corner of the full moon

Saw a reflection of the closet light

Everything except lighting bugs

So I rolled back over

Let you have this one

Something for yourself

I knew you were having trouble

Couldn’t make yourself sleep

Now you had lights to count

One dancing fairy

Sitting on my window

Two dancing fairies

Spinning past outside

Maybe you will get lucky

Your dreams will dwell on this

The flashing biochemical tails

Flickering on and off

            In a determined pattern

Will trigger a deep sleep

And in the recesses of slumber

The bright bugs will communicate

They want you to know

They appreciate you

And the nice children you raised

You helped their friend

Just the other night

The spider would have gotten him for sure

But you helped first

So they borrowed your dreams

For a few moments

To say thank you