Hooray for Poetry Friday! Tara is hosting today's Poetry Friday round-up. Be sure to check out her site below for more writing inspiration and poetry celebrations! Now that summer heat has kicked in, I have been thinking about how much I miss the fireflies that lit up my backyard at the beginning of the summer. I have always heard that fireflies really thrive in wet environments. We had a good amount of rain in May, and I saw more fireflies than I have ever seen here. When I was little, I remember catching lightning bugs (That's what I like to call them!) in my hand. I would peek in my hand and watch them flicker on and off. Then, I would let them go into the darkness. Seeing them in my own backyard this year, brought back so many childhood memories. Only now, they are gone. I started writing in my notebook about the sadness I felt since their disappearance. I began to wonder why there were no longer lightning bugs blinking around in the darkness. I decided to research them, and I'm so glad that I did. Not only did I find the answer to my question, but I also found out so many other interesting things about these glow bugs that I never knew before. It turns out that lightning bugs may be declining due to things like light pollution, pesticides, and habitat destruction. This made me very sad. So, I immediately began working on a poem in honor of this glittering little bug. Though I'm saying goodbye in the poem, if we all do our part, these flashy fliers will be around for awhile. Fireflies are pretty amazing little bugs! You can learn more about fireflies by clicking the button below. Invitation to Write: Today's poem originated from an observation entry in my notebook. I was sitting outside at my writing table one night waiting to see all the fireflies glowing in the dark. I remember how sad I was when I did not see any at all. I wrote about this feeling in my notebook. It made me wonder, "Where had all the lightning bugs gone?" I immediately started researching more about these tiny night-lights. I was surprised by all the interesting things I never knew about these light-up bugs. After reading so much about them and looking at so many pictures of them, I decided to write a poem in the shape of a firefly.
Many of the things you are observing in your world can lead you to wonder more and more about them as well. Try researching your topic or subject to see what information you can find. These facts can lead you to all kinds of writing inspiration about your topic.
6 Comments
Tabatha
8/6/2016 05:57:22 am
"pixie light" is a good descriptor 😃 I hate to think of lightning bugs being in trouble...
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8/6/2016 07:13:50 am
You're right about the dryness. There are no fireflies here in Colorado & I miss them from my growing up years in Missouri. I'm sad that you found they are declining, such a magical insect. Thanks for the poem written for them, Kiesha!
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8/6/2016 10:40:59 am
Kiesha, pixie light is a great descriptor-very Tinkerbell-ish. Noticing is wondering is what I do often.
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8/6/2016 12:21:09 pm
I love looking up the things I'm wondering about and writing about. It always takes me on such a learning trip!
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8/7/2016 12:58:47 pm
Lovely tribute, Keisha! Hopefully it is not 'goodbye' to these fellas, but 'see you later' or 'we moved'. None of these magical bugs in Tucson unfortunately... =)
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AuthorWelcome! I'm Kiesha Shepard, and I have a love for writing and the teaching of writing. Whispers From the Ridge is a place where I can share my words and ideas for teaching writing. It's also a place for you to find inspiration for writing the words inside of you. I invite you into my world of writing as I capture the whispers from the ridge. Follow by Email
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