Annual Nature Balance
By David Knapton
A summer night from my yard
when checking clouds for rain,
I saw something special,
bringing me a lift of hope.
Near an elm tree top,
a small, soft blinking light
moving through the darkness.
First Firefly of summer.
I called my friend to share
a very welcome sight.
“Everything’s all right.” But -
every year, fewer Fireflies.
Flickering yards and fields,
fond memories of Firefly shows.
Yet, every year more habitat lost and
toxins encroach nearly everywhere.
If greed with lust conquer reason,
and Fireflies dwindle to the last,
life-friendly Earth may be turning
barren; just a cipher entry, in a
far, far away alien database.
This poem was published on November 20, 2016 in the blog of the First Parish Church, Needham.
***
Rembrances Missed
I knelt before my father’s
Stone, not in prayer; but to
work the soil father’s way, and
put in flowers he had liked.
Watering next, but first, I
must get up from the ground.
Not simple, with joints weak
from a long and active life.
I wiggled into position, determined,
I started up. Things went well
‘til faltering. My hand shot out and
grabbed the Stone – it was cold.
Falling stopped, but struck by guilt.
Reverence violated by rudeness.
Filled with shame, I straightened. Then,
softly, a voice unplanned, “thank you.”
Saved by father’s Stone.
Shame turned to gratitude and
a bonding not felt for years.
A glimmer from the distant past.
A little boy’s hand warmly held in
a rushing crowd with his mom and dad.
His mom loudly “don’t let him get hurt.”
He was squeezed by a strong right hand.
Other memories returned, but my
life’s toil and dead-ends,
made me realize they never told
their sacrifices and dreams lost –
so I might have a worthy life.
© 2017 David A. Knapton