Lightning Bug Cascade

We walked and walked, just Mae and me
where I was scared to go.
And as we neared the secret place,
the sun was getting low.

She knew I didn’t like the dark
but she had promised me,
if I would go and brave the night,
I’d like what I would see!

So out we went and down the path
that ran beside the trees.
The black that settled heavy there,
made me want to freeze.

Mae could sense my growing fear.
So she reached out her hand.
I grabbed it quick and on we went
across the twilight land.

Then finally we came to rest
inside the inky dark.
When suddenly, across the field,
I saw a tiny spark!

“Look!” I gasped! But Mae just smiled
for she already knew,
and so we turned to face the light,
to watch it as it grew.

A thousand twinkling flashes
spilled out into the night
and filled the darkest corners
with softly glowing light.

It felt like secret magic
and the longer that we stayed,
the brighter it became inside
the lightning bug cascade.

That night would be a favorite
among my memories.
The night that I forgot my fears
and left them in the trees.