Noval and the cicadas tune their instruments
by the fire at AlTo camp
as a giant orange sherbet sun melts slowly
on the horizon painting everything
golden, even our faces.

Marcy walks over with ‘that smile’
the secret one I know
and leads me down the beach.
“Look!” Wait!” the magic words–
I don’t ask what miracle is coming
as she points to a small, plain tree
barely visible in the darkness.
One small intermittent glow appears
then another, and another
in the space of a minute
to the beat of my heart
until the tree is transformed
into a pulsing sphere of light–
a nebula of fireflies!
Then one by one they all fly up
into a sea of stars
as if to take their rightful places.

We stroll back up the beach
while she explains synchronic flashing
of Southeast Asian fireflies
and I feel just like Lois Lane with Superman
walking home after a flight over Metropolis
as he explains how gravity works–
just not on him.

—

Sandra Noel’s published poetry includes; Heart of Darkness, a narrative poem published in In the Mist, Imagining Babylon in Paradigm, Imagine, Night visitor, Impossible and Albatross in Barnwood International Poetry Magazine,  Blessed and May Day in Seattle in ProtestPoems, All for Marilyn, Tree Tonglin and and Heron in Buddhist Poetry Review and Stone and Bone, Reefnet Summer and Sweetgrass harvest in Elohi Gadugi Journal.