Tangles & Tails: Tracey Kiff-Judson's Blog

Bioluminescent Male Seeking Redheaded Female for One Magical Evening

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Last night at 9:30 PM, a friend texted and urged us to come see the fireflies on a trail near his house.  We raced there to view the display.  Thousands of tiny lights hovered above the darkened path.  It was truly spectacular, like Christmas in July. 

I tried to record the show on video, but my camera could only capture the closest lights, not the tunnel of flickering sparks fading to infinity.  Maybe you can hear the twanging, bluegrass frog-band that accompanied the visual fireworks?

flashbulbs pop at dusk

scattered specks of light beckon

fireflies seek romance

          Haiku and Video © 2023 Tracey Kiff-Judson

 

For more Poetry Friday fun and this week's roundup, head to Linda Mitchell’s fantastic blog: A Word Edgewise!

 

26 comments

  • Tracey, I love this so much! The video is great, and you're right, some things can only be fully appreciated by experiencing them...I love the idea of this sparked tunnel! Thank you for both video and haiku, which sparkles!
    • Irene, lovely to hear from you!  Thank you for your comments.  I am looking forward to Museum on the Moon!
  • How beautiful! I love the whole scene you paint. There are places where I grew up where the fireflies spark like this. I don't see it in the suburbs as much...but your poem brings it all back to me. Thank you!
    • Linda, thank you for sharing.  I have read that firefly populations are declining.  I, too, feel like I used to see them a lot more when I was a child.  One theory that I read was that light pollution makes it difficult for them to find each other.  This little grove where there were so many was VERY dark, which makes sense, I guess!
  • Oh Tracey, so fun -- we don't get fireflies in the west :(. I love the flashbulb pops - and the TITLE (tee hee)!
  • Oh Tracey, so fun -- we don't get fireflies in the west :(. I love the flashbulb pops - and the TITLE (tee hee)!
    • Patricia, I had no idea that there were no fireflies in the western US!  They do seem to like muggy nights, so maybe it is too dry for them out west?  Thanks for your comments!
  • Delightful! I have been getting emails about keeping the lights turned off outside our home while the fireflies are trying to make romantic matches. Our home is dark but there's a lot of light in our neighborhood. It looks like they found a very dark spot near you!
    • Tabetha, how interesting that you get notices to keep your lights off.  I didn't know that turning off lights for fireflies was a thing until I wrote this post.  The trail that I mentioned where the fireflies congregate is SO dark!  I was reaching out blindly as I walked and tripping over humps in the ground.
  • "fireflies seek romance"-Even in the darkness of your screen, I can sense the power of the calls. Tracey, thanks for this short video because I do not see fireflies outside. I do love their dance. I can hear the frogs croaking their tunes though.
  • Carol, thank you for your thoughts!  I wish the video did a better job of showing just how many fireflies were there - a speed dating frenzy!
  • Love the video and the beautiful sounds accompanying the flashes. The blog title is great and the haiku tells it like it is - romance in the dark. We see some fireflies here in NH, but not as many as we used to see growing up.
     
    • Thank you, Joyce!  People's comments about not seeing as many fireflies these days is making me very concerned about their populations.  I feel like this little trail in the dark is one of their last strongholds.  : (
  • Absolutely amazing! We had a firefly show at a friend's house at book club this week too. I love the soundscapes of summer. Thank you for sharing this delightful bit of summer. 
    • Marcie, that is so exciting that you saw fireflies during book club.  What a fun surprise!  Thank you for your thoughts!
  • I love fireflies and frog songs! In fact, I have PB manuscripts about both. I have found poems on my brain this week, so when I started reading your post, your beautiful prose jumped out. I took the liberty of borrowing your words for a small poem:
    near the darkened paths
    flickering sparks
    fading to infinity
    Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Tracey!
     

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