I used to chase it

venturing into the world

night after night

like a child with a jar

hunting for fireflies

flitting through high grass

 

From a stage

I did my best to sneak up

with surprise,

to lure it out

of hiding places

burrowed deep in the chest—

sometimes it sleeps

at the back of the throat

or nestled in the stray hairs

of the nasal cavity

 

It’s not easy to coax it out,

that takes skill.

You can’t capture it,

but, if you’re lucky

you can catch a room full of it

and it’s beautiful to behold