Thursday, July 3, 2014

Nature's Fireworks




              Heidi Mordhorst has the poetry fireworks at My Juicy Little Universe.

           I haven't posted since the beginning of June, traveling here and traveling there! The latest trip with family, including my three grandchildren, brought us to Missouri humidity, and the best of all besides more family was FIREFLIES. It seems fitting to celebrate our Independence Day with poems about those magical insects, nature's fireworks. The two youngest grandchildren, three and five year old girls, had never seen fireflies, and so with their older cousin's help, danced around the lawn trying their best to catch a few, and a jarful was caught. They were released later, but loved the doing and the real sight of something we just don't have in Colorado. In early evening, the best thing to do is to sit on the porch and watch. Then watch a little more, and when the evening deepens, the fireflies rise. They live in the ground, come out at night to attract mates and prey. If you want to know more, there's a good article here!



          
         I had first chosen Fireflies In The Garden by Robert Frost which begins "Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,/And here on earth come emulating flies," The rest is here. Yet then today came another from the Your Daily Poem site, Earthstars by Julia Ebel. Many of you probably saw it, and seeing is important! When you go to the site, you need to read from the bottom up. The site is here, and this clever poem begins:


           fireflies
                                              then there,
      First here, 


    One addition! Monica (see comment below) added this link to another lovely firefly poem by Elizabeth Madox Roberts. Thanks, Monica! photo credit: Otto Phokus via photopin cc

33 comments:

  1. Happy 4th Friend. I'm excited to be the first to comment here and remember my childhood filled with fireflies... thanks for the Frost poem that's new to me :) Perfect read for the start of this holiday even if it promises to be a wash out, but we have been saved from the dangers of Arthur.
    Have a great one :)
    Bonnie

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    1. Thank you Bonnie-wishing the same to you. I'm happy to be home for a while! Hoping that Arthur bypasses you, or at the last resort travels quickly by!

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  2. Welcome back! Fireflies take me back to visiting my grandmother every summer in Chicago. Love the fireflies poem from YDP!

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    1. I have good memories of the fireflies, too, Carol. It was a delight to 'show' them off to the grand girls. Wish we had them here!

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  3. Fireflies are magical! We don't get them in Central Florida but celebrate seeing them when we happen upon them "up north." I hope your enjoy Independence Day, Linda.

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    1. Thanks Lee Ann. We enjoy them whenever we can!

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  4. Welcome back, and Happy 4th.! I loved Julia's poem - what a clever idea to construct it that way, with all the looseness of the white space. Thanks for sharing this, Linda - I'm saving it to share with my students next June - when it will almost be time for fireflies again.

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    1. It is heavenly to watch them rise up, isn't it? And I agree, so glad that clever poem was shared! Happy 4th to you, too!

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  5. What a fun and clever poem. I have some fond firefly memories from my childhood, except, back then we called them lightning bugs.

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    1. Yes, we called them lightning bugs, too, Diane. I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing them.

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  6. I remember fireflies from growing up in Mississippi. We would catch them in a jar. I always felt like I was catching Tinkerbell. Love the poem and the inverse image of words flying. I think the mosquito spray we use kills fireflies, too. Sad. We have to go deep into the country to see them.

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    1. Oh, it is sad to think of them sprayed, too, Margaret. They are quite magical. I learned in my research that there are so many species! In Costa Rica, the light looks green, a different delight!

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  7. How much fun to read the lines of this poem as they rose up. Thanks for sharing it, Linda. Fireflies are all up and down the East Coast. I didn't realize they weren't native in some parts of the country.

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    1. It's just too dry here, I think, Laura. When I read about them, their nourishment mainly comes from snails or similar creatures. Those kinds of animals don't live in the dry earth here much either. Glad you liked the poem, very clever!

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  8. Thank you for sharing these wonderful short poems that remind me of my children's childhood days catching fireflies in jars. I just saw one the other day and it delighted me. Have a wonderful 4th of July.

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    1. Thanks Carol, they bring happy memories for sure!

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  9. I've always loved Frost's poem, and I also liked the uniqueness of Julia's!

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    1. Thanks Matt, the Frost poem was new to me, so glad I found it! Julia's poem is just right for those magical creatures!

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  10. Welcome back, Linda! Fireflies are the perfect subject for this fireworks-filled Friday. I always loved catching fireflies when I was a kid, but the most magical memory I have is of my boys catching them when they were small. Someday I'll have to write about it. Enjoy your holiday!

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    1. Thanks, Catherine-nice to hear from you! It is a special memory I know!

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  11. Oh, I love how the poem recreates the experience!

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  12. Thank you for this one, too, Monica. I'll add it to the post!

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  13. What a wonderful, floaty poem - that's the kind of hand-holding that form and content should do! I first saw fireflies when my kids and I went to Washington D.C. and stayed outside of town in a camp by a river - what magic! Thanks for linking to the poem, Linda.

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    1. Thanks Julie, happy you have these memories.

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  14. Thanks for sharing these sweet lightning bug poems, Linda! Watching/catching fireflies is one of summer's pleasures. The form of Julia's works so well.

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    1. You're welcome Tabatha, it is a pleasure to share.

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  15. Never get tired of lightning bugs, as I grew up calling them. What is it about all these summer things that still feel magical after 50 years of living?!

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    1. It must be just good memories, Heidi, that keep coming back.

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  16. I enjoyed both of these poems, Linda! Thank you for sharing. It had been years and years since I saw fireflies, but like you, we saw them just this month when we were visiting PA. What a pleasure to get reacquainted with these little bright sparks.

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    1. How wonderful Michelle. I love when there are connections like me writing about fireflies & then you just saw them again. Serendipity!

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  17. Fireflies - just one of my favourite things. Beautiful photographs, dearest Linda. I love seeing your travel pictures. :)

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