I remember many a times during my youth
I'd sit and watch the fireflies alight,
... they were such a wondrous sight!
... flickering stars in the dark of night,
running with a jar, I'd try to catch them in flight.
Yet, they'd quickly disappear
and reappear in a different place,
... running away from me as I'd approach
... fleeing quicker than a cockroach,
they'd always win the race.
Mother Nature had given them headlights
to steer clear of the predators' path,
... She'd given them a candle to alight
... to seek a clear path in the dark night,
lest they become victims of the monsters' wrath.
Nature surprised me with her ingenuity
with the tricks that she had in store,
... she knew about the possibility
... that we'd borne hostility;
she knew about the man-o-war.
Indeed, that is what I recognized
that's what I'd been taught,
... I never caught a firefly
... and now I know why,
She'd never let them get caught!
I never underestimate the forces of nature
I watch, but no longer chase the creatures,
... flickering stars in the dark night
... sitting and watching the fireflies alight,
I have listened to the teacher.
Indeed, they'd never fail to amaze me
with their light-show, with their grace,
... ballerinas in flight
... under their own spotlight,
a stage in every place.
The crickets would supply the music
the birds would supply the song,
... a thousand symphonies
... of nature in perfect harmony,
let the show go on.
May the curtains never fall
on this stage-show of the wild,
... let it remain
... untouched, untamed,
the wonder of every child.
Copyright © 1985 and revised in 2011 by Hans Raffelt, All Rights Reserved.
