Fireflies 
By Rebecca Gerdes 

Behind tall talking trees 
that are only silent when you can't hear them anyway, 
down an angle of masked road 
right off Highway 51 

a child, Tammy, 
prays to bursts of light 
then pulls illuminated stomachs from spindly legs, 
and wears the glowing ring, 
glad it is only almost alive. 

And when Daddy mows the driveway 
that's when pebbles dance, 
sand and stone and Tammy's chubby finger 
joined in dusky faintness, 
gleaming like the twinkle of a distant star. 

And the child, 
grasping a shovel 
worn to sickly orange, 
like a triumphant banner of plastic pageantry, 
reaches up till hand meets sky, 
and grins. 

Till Momma thinks of chameleons 
against the backdrop of night 
and Daddy hefting up, hauling up, holding up 
up beyond the sky his little daughter, 
thinks of a corkboard in his office 
pinned up and lined 
with negatives of rooms full of mouths and mouths full of teeth 
so big and white and holy 
that virgins couldn't do better. 

8 Poetry 

-
Across his eyes, almost too quickl) 
settled on his shoulders 
(the shoulders of a giant, she thinl 
Tammy flourishes her baton 
so far above the earth 
she almost forgets the firefly ... 

till, practical, Momma calls, 
and the family goes into dinner, 
leaving only 

a shovel on the porch. 

lightning on the ring finger. 

and fireflies, spotted and illusory, 

Try it, you'll like it 
She said 
It's a good fast meal 
She said 
First time I every wanted 
To just eat the box it came in 
I mean it tasted of 
Cardboard and water 
It's like a starving man 
Who tried this would say 
Why the hell am I eating the box 
Even a beggar would say 
Can you spare something else? 
Not to mention what my cousins~ 
This tastes like death in a bowl. 
Then there's always what I put on 
Killing people since 1638 
Then I put on it an expiration dat 
Best used by 07/ 12/ 1774 



ay, 

; fu ll of teeth 

Across his eyes, almost too quickly, 
settled on his shou lders 
(the shou lders of a giant, she thinks) 
Tammy flourishes her baton 
so far above the earth 
she almost forgets the firefly ... 

till, practical, Momma calls, 
and the family goes into dinner, 
leaving only 

a shovel on the porch. 

lightning on the ring finger. 

Fireflies / Cup of Noodles - Analecta 

and fireflies, spotted and illusory, above the grass. 

Try it, you'll like it 
She said 
It's a good fast meal 
She said 
First time I every wanted 
To just eat the box it came in 
I mean it tasted of 
Cardboard and water 
It's like a starving man 
Who tried this would say 
Why the hell am I eating the box 
Even a beggar would say 
Can you spare something else? 
Not to mention what my cousin said 
This tastes like death in a bowl. 
Then there's always what I put on it's side 
Killing people since 1638 
Then I put on it an expiration date 
Best used by 07/ 12/ 1774 

Cup of Noodles 
By Joe Borkowski 

9