Fireflies
- Mar 26
- 1 min read
Charlotte Matthews
They never seem to give up,
never house any doubt
that what they are doing
has merit. But it gets harder
and harder to be sure
all the afflicted moments
I could have changed don’t
stack up like the books
my mother read before
staring out at the empty
room around her. In the meadow
they catch my eye, then flit
capriciously: Houdini disappearing
then coming back—voila.
Like us, they pour out
their light that they may be found.
Some are up in the trees,
some low to the ground.
Most live just a few days
looking for a way to leave
their mark without having
overstayed their keep.
Image © Europeana
Charlotte Matthews is the author of five poetry collections, a novel, an essay collection, and a memoir, which was a finalist for Indie Awards’ best creative non-fiction. Her work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Chautauqua, Tar River, The Virginia Quarterly Review, and storySouth. Associate Professor in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at The University of Virginia, she teaches writing to non-traditional students. Charlotte Matthews can also be found at www.charlottematthewswriter.com.