~ Delta Poetry Review ~

Matthew Johnson

Lightning Bugs Left in Mason Jars

Lightning bugs left in mason jars don’t somersault in rings of fire
Like they were crafted to do in the fragrant air of backyards;
They climb until they scrape their wings against the lid.
Lightning bugs left in mason jars circle around the block,
Patting each side of the glass with their heads,
Knocking against it, like lost drivers tapping on doors in a neighborhood.
Lightning bugs left in mason jars give off light like a cold sun;
The clouds overhead do not pass,
And these bundles of twigs and cheap blades of grass
Are nothing but dead Earth.
Light withers into darkness from my tiny violence
When I place lightning bugs in mason jars…

Matthew Johnson is the author of Shadow Folks and Soul Songs (Kelsay Books) and Far from New York State (New York Quarterly Press) and a forthcoming chapbook (Finishing Line Press). His work has appeared in Maryland Literary Review, South Florida Poetry Journal, Up the Staircase Quarterly, and elsewhere. A recipient of Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominations, as well as a Sundress Publications Residency, Matthew is managing editor of Portrait of New England and the poetry editor of The Twin Bill. Website: matthewjohnsonpoetry.com