As a kid I would catch fireflies
and keep them in mason jars.
Glowing creatures, a living night light-
It was a simple time,
laughing as dusky twilight settled over soft summer grass.
Now I don’t keep fireflies bottled up anymore
Pent up emotions rattle in glass cages.

I think back to the fireflies,
how I had to let them go at the end of the night
when I was too tired to catch them anymore.
Unscrewing the cap they would flitter away,
until they were just specks of light.
Looking to my jar, brimming with rage and sadness
Unscrewing the cap, I watch them escape into the night:
First as a tangled mess, and then as a fading wisp.
Sweet relief rushes over me,
Because letting go is better than holding on.