Fire Flies- by Thomasina Kundalini

FIRE FLIES 12.23.00

The first time i ever saw a firefly was in South Carolina. I was about 8 or so and my big brother showed me that if you catch one and smear it on your shirt, you will glow for a while. I did that ONCE...and felt terrible about it. The whole time my sleeve was glowing, my heart was breaking. I knew that bug would never glow again. I didn't see another firefly for years. The tiny MN town i grew up in is lined with deep ditches. They grow thick with cat-tails and prairie grass in the summer.

One night, about 5 years later i was walking around in the evening and i saw a firefly go off into a ditch. I was so excited, as i hadn't seen another in all those years, and followed it into the growth. I saw it again... and again. Oh, how i wanted to make up for that life i had taken years before. Every time i saw it light, i said inside, "i'm sorry." I stood in that ditch...silent as the grass and my heart rejoiced each time the firefly lit. The illuminations became more frequent and i realized there was more than one! I felt blessed, and honored to see them again.

Then, within a matter of moments, they were everywhere. Thousands of them, swarming in the ditch. Appearing in fantastic arrays. Like some lightening bug cosmos that i accidentally stumbled upon. Several landed on me, still glowing. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The fireflies still lit, warm within my heart.