-----------------------------------------------------------

Lightning Bugs
By Don Iannone

Hot summer night,
Boys playing outside
well past their bedtime,
Waiting,watching,
Suddenly...
one appears, then
another, and another,
Soon, the yard is filled
with blinking yellow bugs.

Lightning bugs, fireflies,
Magical flying...
illuminations,
Twinkle, twinkle
little star, but oh,
how about those...
lightning bugs?

At first,
we are content
to just chase them,
Then the temptation
grows beyond control.
There is the matter
of the empty jelly jar...
that beckons to be
filled with the
glorious flying Edisons.

Yes, yes, grass,
The bugs must have
a few blades,
And of course,
they need air,
So the jar's lid...
receives a few
well placed stabs
from our new
Boy Scout pen knives.

"I'm coming" we shout
in unison, as our Moms
bellow from the back porch
for us to get in the house.
One final decision...
must be made,
Keep the bugs, or
let them go?
It's a split vote,
meaning...we
do the opposite of
what we did last time.

So...
the mysterious winged
twinkle bugs are freed...
at least until tomorrow's
night falls, and then,
Who knows?

-----------------------------------------------------------