Reverence

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by Julie Cadwallader-Staub

The air vibrated
with the sound of cicadas
on those hot Missouri nights after sundown
when the grown-ups gathered on the wide back lawn,
sank into their slung-back canvas chairs
tall glasses of iced tea beading in the heat

and we sisters chased fireflies
reaching for them in the dark
admiring their compact black bodies
their orange stripes and seeking antennas
as they crawled to our fingertips
and clicked open into the night air.

In all the days and years that have followed,
I don't know that I've ever experienced
that same utter certainty of the goodness of life
that was as palpable
as the sound of the cicadas on those nights:

my sisters running around with me in the dark,
the murmur of the grown-ups' voices,
the way reverence mixes with amazement
to see such a small body
emit so much light.


On another note, leaving for a visit with our CollegeGrrrrl and will be gone for a few days. Hope everyone enjoys their weekends and Happy Fathers' Day to all the BabyDaddies out there:>)

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 19, 2009 at 4:49 AM

    Boy that brought back the memories of this southern girl on a summer night. Have a great visit with CollegeGrrrl!

    ReplyDelete
  2. RudeeJune 19, 2009 at 7:07 AM

    That was lovely. Thank you.

    Enjoy your weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The BugJune 19, 2009 at 7:15 AM

    We saw fireflies in our new yard - another unexpected benefit of leaving apartment living... Have a great weekend - hope you're headed somewhere cooler than here!

    ReplyDelete
  4. JCJune 19, 2009 at 7:21 AM

    Gorgeous Photo !!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. PyzahnJune 19, 2009 at 7:50 AM

    I love the clamor of cicadas. Enjoy your time with CollegeGrrrrl.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rosaria WilliamsJune 19, 2009 at 7:57 PM

    Lovely summer night, sights and sounds and secrets of children.

    ReplyDelete
  7. KathleenJune 19, 2009 at 10:09 PM

    Yes. I remember that. Fondly.
    Ala Annie Lamott: "Traveling mercies . . "

    ReplyDelete
  8. OwenJune 20, 2009 at 4:27 PM

    "the utter certainty of the goodness of life"...

    Should we be so fortunate as to retain that feeling in these strange and troubled times...

    Thank you Distracted for the radiant poems you manage to find for our pleasure out here, it is always with a sense of imminent joy that I click on Tidings in the sidebar. Have a fun trip !

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownJune 20, 2009 at 5:02 PM

    Have a fabulous weekend!
    Smiles!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Deanna Bland Hiott PhD, MSN, RNJune 22, 2009 at 2:39 PM

    Awww, love it..."the goodness of life"...perfect! Have a wonderful visit... :)

    ReplyDelete

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Hey, thanks for your thoughts and your time:>)

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