Firefly Poem by mohanan viswambharan Nair

In the small thatched house of my village,
When the light went off at night, usually
fire flies visited our room giving us light -
A pure light, a relief in the utter darkness.

In the room where my father slept,
We children looked up with all respect.
I slept on a palm mat beneath our study table,
beside the cot where my sister used to sleep.
After her marriage, I was promoted to the cot.

Today in my new house, when light goes off at night,
I rarely see fireflies, by chance, resting on my AC or fan.
Their soft glow lost amidst the harsh light of the inverter bulb.
Now my grand children enter my room freely
digging at my hair unseen
and tugging softly at my ear - without fear without respect.

Still I remember how I longed to sleep by my father's side
Once he beckoned me to his side,
and made me lie upon his hairy blossomed chest
How glad I was then - its memory still lingers in me.

Recently, a fire fly landed on the fan in my room
I feared it would be crushed if the current returned.
I opened all the windows, giving it a safe way out.
My daughter came, saw and understood the reason for my act.
She withdrew silently, smiling and smiling.

I remember my father who once stood in the front row
to bring electricity to my village.
I think of the fire flies that often lit my room
when light went off-
how beautiful and blissful those days were!
Still, I treasure them as gold.


Mohanan V Nair