Poetry Friday May 20, 2022: Bat Walk
The Poetry Friday roundup is with Carmela at Teaching Authors.
A few weeks ago, I attended a bat walk at a local park. This is honestly my busiest season. Things are busy with my writing life. Things are busy with my job. And my teen is keeping me super busy with crew season. The night of the bat walk, I’d been gone all day and I really hesitated going out after dark for a nature walk. If I hadn’t paid for the class, I wouldn’t have gone. We started the walk at twilight when the the park closed. They ushered everyone else out of the park except for those of us who were signed up for the class.
I caught a few good photos before it turned totally dark, including the one below. But the surprise of the night was a lightning bug. I saw it a few times before I burst out, “There’s a lightning bug.” The naturalist leading our walk said she thought she’d seen one too but dismissed it because it’s so early in the season. But I saw it again and again, high up in the trees darting around in the dark.
I’ve been trying to make the nature walks a priority at least once a week, but some weeks have been much harder than others to make it happen. This was one walk I’m glad I made time for.
Haiku of the Week
What I’m Reading
Things We Eat edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong
I ordered this book because I wanted to see the books that Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong put together for the Anthologies 201 class they teach.
I’ve been writing a haiku inspired by nature photography everyday as part of my daily haiku practice, so I really loved seeing how poets responded to photos with their ekphrastic poetry.
This collection is such a great one for the youngest learners. I love that the poetry is short and snappy and about food–something that everyone can connect to.
14 Comments
Mary Lee
Lightning bugs already?!?! I’ll keep my eyes peeled (as Mom used to say). As for making time for nature walks, I have found that time walking and appreciating all the sights in the neighborhood (yesterday, a pileated woodpecker working away at the base of a Mother Oak tree) or working in the garden (the “Well, hello there” in my post) lowers my blood pressure and gives me a more positive outlook.
Your photo and haiku capture such a calming moment.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Right? That’s the earliest I’ve ever seen lightning bugs. I definitely needed to be in nature. I have not been doing that enough lately and my stress levels are noticing.
PATRICIA J FRANZ
I wasn’t sure if “lightening bug” was the same as “firefly” (google tells me it is?). Living in AZ/CA, we don’t see them. But I remember visiting my inlaws in PA early in my marriage and I was delighted to sit outside and watch fireflies come out to play! How wonderful that you spotted on on this particular evening, when you were feeling stressed and second-guessing going out! The image of the twilight-painted lake is beautiful! We do get bats at our little pond every night in Tahoe. It’s a joy to watch their dance from our deck. Hope the rest of the year ends well!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Yes! Fireflies and lightning bugs are the same. I always associate them with the heat of summer. If the naturalist hadn’t seen it too, I would have said I was just seeing things.
Linda Mitchell
The excitement of seeing the first lightning bug can only be matched by a postcard from a friend in the mailbox! Good on ya for making nature walks a priority. It IS tough this time of year. I just want to come home from work and nap. But, I fight it.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
We are almost to the finish line! Hang in there, friend. We can do it! So glad you got your snail mail. 🙂
Rose Cappelli
Another beautiful haiku, Marcie! I would probably have been more excited to see the lightning bug/firefly, too. It reminded me of a manuscript I have about fireflies and moving and not finding them (like Patricia’s response).
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Yes, I worry if we aren’t careful, even the places with lightning bugs will start losing them. I have such fond memories of catching (and releasing) lightning bugs with my cousins every summer at my grandparents’ house.
Molly Hogan
This is a lovely haiku and a wonderful reminder of how taking/making time to be outside is always worth it. We’ve been trying to tuck in small outdoor ventures in the late afternoon/early evening and I always feel the better for it. I do have two questions though: Did you see any bats? and perhaps more importantly, Do bats eat lightning bugs?
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Yes! We saw bats! It was so fun to be traipsing on trails in the dark and seeing them. I’m pretty sure they don’t eat lightning bugs. They have a toxic substance in them that keeps them from eating them. They DO eat tons of other insects, including mosquitoes!
Carmela Martino
So glad you followed through on the walk despite your busy-ness Marcie. The photo and poem are lovely! I wish I could have joined you. 🙂
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Carmela!
Carol Varsalona
Marcie, nature walks at night sound interesting. Did you see bats? I can’t imagine being any place near one. Your photo and poem are such a descriptive way of capturing the scene.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Yes, we saw bats. We also heard them using the bat detector. I would love to do it again at some point.