Of Butterflies And Fireflies

Butterflies and fireflies …
of these have I many happy memories
from a childhood spent growing up
in Macon, Georgia in the 1950’s
in a house not far from downtown.
Butterflies of such vibrant hues –
yellow, orange, red, blue, and white –
danced through the summer air,
flitting from sunbeam to sunbeam,
tempting many a small boy to give chase.
Butterflies were everywhere.
Butterflies were commonplace.

Come the dusk and the twinkling
of fireflies filled the night air.
Every yard was aglow with firefly
fluorescence, flashing brightly
then fading away. It was so easy
to fill a jar with these miniature lanterns
to pass the night glowing intermittently
beside a small boy’s bedside.
Fireflies were everywhere.
Fireflies were commonplace.

Now it’s 2005 and where have all
the butterflies and fireflies gone?
The sight of a lone butterfly crossing
the yard is enough to command notice,
and fireflies are simply never seen.
What are small boys supposed to chase
during sunlit hours or to capture in jars
at dusk to share the darkness of night?
What has Man done to His world?
I am greatly saddened by an environment
where my grandchildren are forced
to grow up in a world largely devoid of
butterflies and fireflies.


Please check out my ten books:
http://www.amazon.com/Jr.-Harry-E.-Gilleland/e/B004SVLY02/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0