Keith Polette

The Game

Dusk. The children on the edge of the woods chase after fireflies. A light blinks on and then off, and the children dash to where the light was, only to find the darkness has re-sealed itself. And then another blink of light followed by another mad dash, only to discover the light is gone. And this game for hours: the children chasing lights, finding darkness – while I am in the house trying my hand at paint-by-numbers, but every time I try to put paint on canvas, the numbers start moving.

fireflies . . .
all the stoplights in town
flashing red