"Life is the dancer and you are the dance."
— Eckhart Tolle

Friday, April 29, 2011

Portrait of a Sociopath or Who Misplaced Those Jars? NaPoWriMo #29-mason jars

Placing fireflies
inside mason jars;
they’ve been scattered everywhere
Time has ceased when lights go out;
you’re in need of some guidance …
A specific jar tucked under your bed is accumulating dust
when night folds in;
reach for them to light your path,
looking for intermittent brilliance to illuminate pathways
Electricity in the air moves objects round like silver leaves,
swirling in rhythm as they bend to follow …
trusting fireflies will lead you in darkness,
bringing you back resplendent
Posted by flaubert at 1:45 AM

42 comments:

  1. vivinfranceApril 29, 2011 at 2:13 AM

    I love fireflies. The most amazing sight was a whole hillside of them glimmering on a tiny Greek island, and they really did light up the path when I was slightly lost.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stan SkiApril 29, 2011 at 2:47 AM

    '...intermittent brilliance...' describes the fireflies - you're far more consistent!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Andy SewinaApril 29, 2011 at 3:24 AM

    Yeah, dead good! you've got me thinking now...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dave KingApril 29, 2011 at 3:47 AM

    Yup, I'm with Stan: a reliable standard. Always good to drop in.

    ReplyDelete
  5. brenda wApril 29, 2011 at 6:41 AM

    I love "looking for intermittent brilliance to illuminate pathways." This is gorgeous, Pamela. Even though my heart feels a bit sorry for the little buggers trapped in jars, I love the piece. When we were kids, we used to write on our arms with fireflies. I love poems that bring a piece of childhood back for me. Thanks,
    ~Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  6. IselfApril 29, 2011 at 6:54 AM

    I especially liked the closing line - "bringing you back resplendent" - truly resplendent!

    ReplyDelete
  7. lucychiliApril 29, 2011 at 7:04 AM

    living lanterns =)

    ReplyDelete
  8. MarianneApril 29, 2011 at 7:38 AM

    I love fireflies ... a happy childhood memory. And I love your poem. "Trusting fireflies will lead you in darkness, bringing you back resplendent" is a great line!

    ReplyDelete
  9. annell4April 29, 2011 at 8:10 AM

    Beautifully done! Have you seen any lately? You say, they will bring you back resplendent, and they are resplendent too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownApril 29, 2011 at 9:41 AM

    Fireflies... wondrous creatures, fun poem.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Laurie KolpApril 29, 2011 at 11:05 AM

    Fun... love the ending!

    ReplyDelete
  12. barbaraApril 29, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    resplendent.

    nice nice word in a great location

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sherry Blue SkyApril 29, 2011 at 11:49 AM

    A wonderful poem. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousApril 29, 2011 at 1:20 PM

    Reading this put me in a nostalgic mood. Loved the images you created here. Nice. Vb

    ReplyDelete
  15. ElizabethApril 29, 2011 at 2:36 PM

    Love fireflies and love your poem. You always make it look so easy, never simple, but easy and I love coming here and being surprised anew each time. You are a firefly respendant, Pamela. Thank you for that,

    Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
  16. ElizabethApril 29, 2011 at 2:37 PM

    resplendant, sorry

    E

    ReplyDelete
  17. Carrie Van HornApril 29, 2011 at 3:43 PM

    Love the thoughts this one digs up Pamela...you have such a wonderful talent....hope you have a great weekend! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Brian MillerApril 29, 2011 at 4:39 PM

    nice...love catching fireflies..just make sure you put holes in that jar lid...smiles. or they wont lead far for long...

    ReplyDelete
  19. signed...bkmApril 29, 2011 at 6:46 PM

    fireflies to lead you through darkness...a wonderful thought...a beautiful vision of hope in the mason jar....lovely Pam....bkm

    ReplyDelete
  20. Mr. WalkerApril 29, 2011 at 7:02 PM

    Pamela, the language and images in this one are so lush and delicious. Illuminating! I grew up in the Midwest, so I miss fireflies; we don't have them in California. This brought back memories for me and seemed magical too in a whole new way.

    ReplyDelete
  21. AnonymousApril 29, 2011 at 7:27 PM

    This is my first visit to your site and I am already impressed by your writing. I do work fulltime at a job not my ideal but my first love is art, writing and music. I just took up the Blog in March. I will come again and see all you have here. Thank You! I won't even try to enter my site link below as I have had no luck. It is http://reneejustturtleflight.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousApril 29, 2011 at 7:43 PM

    I was just about to write almost the same thing as Mr. Walker! I, too, grew up in the Midwest and loved the magical memories of mason jars filled with fireflies your poem brought to mind. (I've not really seen fireflies in Texas, now that you bring up the subject!)

    ReplyDelete
  23. GloriaApril 29, 2011 at 8:34 PM

    A beautiful poem and the last four lines are almost magical.

    ReplyDelete
  24. nanApril 29, 2011 at 8:50 PM

    Glowing images in this, Pamela! Love the fireflies. For some reason, my favorite line is "time has ceased when lights go out."

    ReplyDelete
  25. DebApril 30, 2011 at 12:20 AM

    Intriguing title adds lots & lots to the poem. The body of it would be completely different, otherwise! Intriguing!

    ReplyDelete
  26. AnonymousApril 30, 2011 at 2:59 AM

    You haven't lost any skill in this long haul writing month, Pamela.

    ReplyDelete
  27. AnonymousApril 30, 2011 at 6:11 PM

    I really love the image of fireflies in mason jars.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Henry ClemmonsApril 30, 2011 at 6:56 PM

    Ha. Great stuff. Loved your word choices and voice. A nice pace with good energy. Yes, we all need help finding our way.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Tumblewords:April 30, 2011 at 10:35 PM

    I haven't seen fireflies since I was a child and I miss them. Fantastic poem!!

    ReplyDelete
  30. flaubertMay 1, 2011 at 12:30 PM

    Viv, I haven't seen fireflies, since I was a child. Amazing little creatures.

    ReplyDelete
  31. flaubertMay 1, 2011 at 12:32 PM

    Stan, Andy and Dave, many thanks:)

    ReplyDelete
  32. flaubertMay 1, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    Brenda, good childhood memories are something we hold on to.
    iself, thanks
    Janet, they are that:)
    Me too, Marianne.

    ReplyDelete
  33. flaubertMay 1, 2011 at 12:38 PM

    No, I haven't, Annell.
    Yes, Kim.
    Thanks, Laurie.
    Thanks, Barb.

    ReplyDelete
  34. flaubertMay 1, 2011 at 12:40 PM

    Thank you, Sherry. I am not sure where the idea came from.
    versebender, thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  35. flaubertMay 1, 2011 at 12:41 PM

    Nothing, too easy, at this point of napo. I thank you for the very nice comment, Elizabeth.

    ReplyDelete
  36. flaubertMay 1, 2011 at 12:43 PM

    The same to you, Carrie.
    Brian, it's good to see you:)
    Nice to see you, Barb.

    ReplyDelete
  37. flaubertMay 1, 2011 at 12:46 PM

    Mr. Walker, growing up in New York, there were loads of them.
    Renee, thank you.
    Paula, I'm not sure where the idea came from.
    Gloria, thanks.
    Thanks, nan.

    ReplyDelete
  38. flaubertMay 1, 2011 at 12:47 PM

    Deb, I was wondering, if anyone would pick up on that. It does change the body of the poem, I know;)

    ReplyDelete
  39. flaubertMay 1, 2011 at 12:48 PM

    Tilly, I'm fading a bit:)

    ReplyDelete
  40. flaubertMay 1, 2011 at 12:49 PM

    Elizabeth, thanks.
    Henry, thanks for the visit.
    Susan, it's always a pleasure to see you.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Madeleine Begun KaneMay 2, 2011 at 1:13 AM

    Wow! Really good! I too grew up in NY where there used to be tons of them. They're pretty rare here right now, unfortunately.

    ReplyDelete
  42. AnonymousMay 2, 2011 at 1:20 PM

    Wow, fantastic!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)