Fireflies

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

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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.