"Lightning Bugs"- A Watercolor 
© 2000 Trudy O. McConnell 

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Fireflies 

A Poem by R. Louis Carroll

Where have all the fireflies gone; 
those earthbound stars of night?
Do they hide from our eyes beneath grass as it lies?
Or has their beauty just faded from our sight?

I remember as a child when nights were short and days were long,
when the dusk was to me a time to be free,
and I'd dance with fireflies playing their song.

I'd take a jar, poke holes in its lid then seek out their light.
I'd run through tall grass with my jar made of glass,
hoping to capture these stars of night.

What wonders they bring to a youthful child's heart,
a smile on my face as I try to keep pace,
and in this joy they too played their part.

When the day was done, the fireflies released and free,
I'd lie in my bed with thoughts in my head,
of fireflies playing in the fields with me.

Now as I age and those days slip into the past,
I look out in the night seeking their light,
and remember the nightly spell they cast.

But as I look out into the night seeking some sign,
I see no light, no stars in the night,
and miss the joy that was once mine.


Original Poem by R. Louis Carroll
Preamble to "The Gift: A Christmas Story" 
©2000 All rights reserved - Used by permission

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