She dances in front of the television set
when she thinks no one else can see her.
It’s Thanksgiving and from the darkness of the screen
her image comes to life.
She twirls with a sense of abandonment and youth
that makes these moments seem so special
There’s a certain joy she brings to the song
even though the song itself is about happiness.
When it ends she looks around to see
if anybody was watching and when she can’t see them
she starts anew.
I’m outside playing the voyeur or the spy
I’’ll let you be the judge
I’m afraid to interrupt and lose this moment to her embarrassment
I think to myself these moments are fleeting enough and are best left to privacy
But I wear a tired smile and feel some satisfaction that I’d seen something good
The song ends and I wander down the front steps to have a smoke and leave her in her moment of solitude
For at this moment, she revels in it and I don’t want to break the spell
I sit on the front steps, smoking my smoke and out of the corner of my eye I see a solitary blinking light
A closer inspection reveals a lone firefly signaling out a beacon in search of a partner
A firefly in November
I’ll leave them both to dance by themselves.