senescence
the way that fireflies are going extinct...
fireflies whispered secrets of life to us
in humid air where we chased
after their dance of morse code, breathless
with laughter, and armed with
glass jars that would make them begin
to go extinct alongside the authenticity
of smiles as we grew up, as we became
the fireflies with the secrets of life smothered,
the precious untainted fire of loving ourselves
before the world taught us to not,
without realizing the cruelness of trapping us
within a cage to wonder at our beauty while
demanding more light as we dimmed, strange
eyes and voices all around us, wanting something
until the moment we escaped or died.
how terrible we were to fireflies.
how terrible we are to ourselves.
how terrible to lose light, left behind embers in a jar.
About the Creator
R.C. Taylor
Part-time daydreamer. Full-time dork.
Follow along for stories about a little bit of everything (i.e. adventure, nostalgia, and other affairs of the heart, and anything else I want to honor and hold space for).
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- Runner-Up in Dancing with Distraction Challenge
Comments (3)
I used to do that as a kid, and it's brought about similar reflections in me now. Well phrased, beautiful.
How terrible we are, indeed. This is a metaphor I would never have considered on my own. Wonderful work.
Beautiful and sad, haunting really!! ❤️