Shimmer

(from Brainstorms)

Last night the canyon
was filled with fireflies.
I hadn’t seen them
in almost a year.

I sat and watched their show
as though I was the one
for whom they glowed,
as though I could understand
their story.

Sometimes little things
will pop into my head.
They surprise me every time.

A random slice of conversation
from so many years ago,
the way the pillows
were lined up just so,
the way you looked at me
that morning.

I don’t know
where they come from,
don’t know where they go.

At times I have the urge to
bottle them into jars
and line them up—
an apothecary
of memories
in my mind.

Or else I want to
steep myself in the feeling,
add them up to make
some sort of meaning,
but the thoughts are
just too fleeting.

So I sit back
and watch them
shimmer
and fade.