he collected a jar of fireflies
from a long row of lilac bushes that separated their backyard from their neighbours old bushes a thicket
no fence needed
opposite side the other neighbours
their yards were separated
by thin metal fencing hungwired to studded T-posts
no one had dogs
easypeasy
he collected fireflies for only that
evening
placed them on the picnic table fired up a joint sipped an Old Style beer from
a small vintage green metal Coleman and dimlylighted
by a battery Coleman lantern wrapped in red cellophane pen and paper was prepared and determined
to see if they knew Morse codemight communicate with him or if in one fellswoop
they might flash obliterateblast blot his vision
not that night
they were incoherent
his Maw called outhad cranked open
the casement window in the kitchen overlooking the yard
Your father and I are going to
bed, Joe.
Ill be right there
he wanted to kiss them
goodnight
earlier he bathed put his kid brothers
and sisters to bed while it was still light
Good night Maw I love you Sleep well
Not too late. his mother said
Bugs confiding any secrets?
Not yet No not yet
When they do Ill fillya
in
You’re a funny kid. We’ll miss
you this Fall when you’re off to school.
Lets not hurry the summer
Theres much to savor between now and then
Yes. Much.
his Dad grabbed him by the shouldershugged
him kissed him on the mouth
You’ve certainly grown into quite a man.
When did that happen?
from his hips he swung both his arms up wide stopped shoulder level
Chaucer Time waits on no man
his father
laughed Who the hell’s Chaucer?
Ill share with you tomorrow after
my routes over breakfast coffee the newspaper
I love you Good night
father
Good night, son.
his father always called him son
his mother always called him Joe
he wandered back outside opened another beer
fireflies fired less
frequent shone like dull coals
he took the quart Mason jar
opened it by the lilacs
gently shookagitated it
it emptied in tenfifteen minutes
as it did he wondered how many hed
recapture the next night
screwed the lid back on walked
over to the table sat again he opened
another beer in the dull red light from the
Coleman he wrote a letter to his girlfriend a year older she stayed on at school for the Summer was an aspiring artist
she drew little pictures on his letters of her naked posed differently
various scenarios her in the sea and surf among marvelous creatures were his favourite
he closed her letter
Youre every tick
of the clock shared by my heart and brain
I love you very much
AMish, Tuesday,
10 8. 02
2014,
Satyrday, 15 6. 24
