Poem: Rocking Chair Wisdom by Mark Tulin

“Rocking Chair Wisdom” was first published on the fine site, Spillwords.com. Featured image by Mark Tulin.

ROCKING CHAIR WISDOM
written by: Mark Tulin



On a quiet night
with crickets chirping,
the older man relaxes
on a front-porch rocking chair,
watching beetles
with lanterns
light up the sky

Finally, at his age,
he knows better
not to chase after things,
and collect fireflies
in Mason jars
with punctured holes
in the lid

He doesn’t pull wings apart,
nor curious about how they look
up close—or feel the need
to see how the bug responds
to captivity

The man is wiser than that—
knows their blinking bulbs
are temporary,
to be valued and respected
just like his life—
and not to stop
the light from glowing,
but let it fly free.