As the darkness veiled the sky,

Amid the gloomy forest stood a lassie

Jaded and desperate, her eyes all misty

Neither screeches of the bat, chirping of crickets

-nor the rustling of leaves roiled her

Her mind was blank, her body numb

And the murkiness made her oblivious.

She then felt something moving on her fingers

A pale green light twinkled on her skin

As the firefly caught her eyes.

As she gazed at the tiny light carrier,

It started flapping its wings and circled around her

It flew towards the deep dark forest

-as if paving her a way to glee

She followed it through dark woods

Bare footed, gravels cut her skin,

-thorns tore her garb

Exhausted and drained but she never halted.

The beetle then circled her again

-and hovered at the edge of a ridge.

As she was about to take her next step,

A little twig pulled her hair

-and she tumbled to the ground.

While she was detangling her hair from

-the twig in a haste,

The gleam of the insect started dimming

As the dawn took over the dusk,

It faded into the air.

She then sat there in despair,

Believed she was destined to be wrecked.

When the first rays of sun touched her face,

She could see the bruises and bloodstains on her skin.

Towards the ridge, she slowly moved and

Gawked at the sharp stones in the sunlight.

But now as she looked from the top,

The site was alluring

The song of robins pleased her ears

And the smell of dewdrops delighted her.

She felt like her long lost senses have reawakened

This brought a smile to her face

Never did she awaited again a firefly or its light

Now that she began pursuing sun and sunshine!

                                                       ~ Sreelakshmi Mohanan

                                                           Shornur, Kerala