I was introduced to Firelies by “Kya, the “Marsh Girl” in the novel, “Where The Crawdad Sings” by Delia Owens. This little girl lived in Barkley Cove, a quiet coastal town in North Carolina during the 1960s. She lived there, alone since she was about nine, in her shack, for years, ever since her entire family left her behind, one after the other. Kya, timid, shy, had no social skills but became one of the most renowned naturalist in the area and teaches us through the book about the wonders of little creatures, grasses and birds of the North Carolina coastline. I revisited the book again this year as it reminds me of my love for this coast and our favorite island, Bald Head Island, BHI, which we have loved for its natural beauty since 1995, but like Kya’s home town of Barkley Cove, NC, BHI has been discovered by many and become more commercialized, but still beautiful, especially in the off-season. The book (a must read) has a unusual turn of events, revealed in her last poem about The Firefly!
“Luring him was as easy
As flashing valentines.
But like a lady firefly
They hid a secret call to die.
A final touch,
Unfinished;
The last step, a trap.
Down, down he falls,
His eyes still holding mine
Until they see another world.
I saw them change.
First a question,
Then an answer,
Finally an end.
And love itself passing
To whatever it was before it began. A.H.”
Till next time blog! #whispersinmyheart
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