“Without awe life becomes routine…try to be surprised by something every day”
~ Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi ~
Today is the last day of school. It’s been a long week at the end of a long year. Earlier this week, as I sat on my deck for a breath of cool evening air, I was surprised to see a firefly. We usually don’t see them until later in June. This unexpected harbinger of summer made me very happy and helped get me to today’s finish line.
fireflies’ neon flashes
and flickers
bring the stars
within reach.
Draft © 2021, Catherine Flynn
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Reading to the Core 
Catherine, that is a beautiful poem! I love “neon flashes” and “bring the stars/within reach.” I also love the sounds all your alliteration, consonance, and assonance give the poem. I see the connection of your poem to the quotation relating to awe and surprise. I’m happy that you had a “harbinger of summer” visit you. For me nature always brings me awe and surprise, too. I haven’t seen fireflies, yet, but I have definitely heard tree frogs trilling, which is music to me. Great poem, quote, and photo. Thank you for sharing.
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I remember being a little girl and watching the fireflies in my grandmother’s backyard every summer. Thanks for bringing some of that magic back with your poem! Happy summer!
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Love this, Catherine. ‘within reach’ changes everything…those magical fireflies. Thank goodness for them. It’s my last day too. I’m looking forward to unwinding and scribbling. Cheers!
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Hooray for you & everyone with those ‘neon flashes’. Each time someone writes about those magical beings, I remember so much about them through my childhood years. We don’t have them here in Colorado, too dry, but it is grand to return to visit family in Missouri & see them again. I love that you wrote in celebration of them, Catherine.
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Yay, I love that you saw this little hope-filled harbinger early this year. Beautiful!
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I’ve heard that we have fireflies across the bayou. I haven’t seen any yet. I have such wonder filled memories of summers in Mississippi catching them in jars. I love your poem. Bringing the stars within reach is a perfect image.
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So lovely! I love fireflies! Even though it is warm here all the time, we don’t get them. Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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Lovely poem, Catherine. And enjoy every minute of your time off this summer!
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I haven’t seen them yet (I’ll make a point to look tonight), but hubby has. Between the swallowtail caterpillars in jars on my counter, the blooming chicory, and the fireflies, I would say that summer is officially here!
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