Margaret had a garden full of fireflies
She herded them at dusk & dawn 
before the sun or moon rise
They danced with her like children dance
Like drunken angels flicking lanterns at the sky

'til one day a hard wind drove through 
& winter stayed, yes, winter stayed
The fireflies, they looked askance
They asked of her, they asked of her
What had gone askew with the man who always
always hid from view

She sighed to them a well-worn sigh 
& they limned her with light
The thing, she said, about the man who strays from sight
Well I luv him so & he luvs me, but his soul’s 
grown tangled & far from free
His mind’s been poisoned by man’s war
He forgot what his body’s for

The fireflies swarmed among themselves 
& made a terrifying swell
They said to Margaret, they might could help 
To dull the pain, the pain to quell
Cuz we know of another world
Where your luv could wait
Painless & timeless for thee

Margaret sighed her well worn sigh
Said that could be best
She walked upstairs with a comet tail of fireflies
Into the room where Justus lies
She made the coffee, took his hand
Said I’ll see soon in other lands
For you needn’t luv this world so full of pain
If but for a while you pretend you do

The flicking lights, they came as one
& covered him in their soft glow & hum
They pulled the light right out of him & raised it to the sky
He looked down upon, where Margaret alone lie
He said I spent my last breath in the light in the light of your eyes
& I needn’t luv this world so full of pain
For such a long while, I pretended to