Why do we catch fireflies?
Doesn't the entire night sky need them more than we do?

They roam freely, lighting their own way,
Because it's in their nature, they're not asking to be chased.
But still, as humans thats what we do
We see a light and we reach for it.

We want that light to be our own,
Any contribution into the pile that illuminates our self-worth.
So we'll fixate, try our best to grasp this shining light
We'll put it on a pedestal, chasing it all night.

And as for the firefly, constant flight gets tiring.
Even with the brightest light, dark nights can make you feel alone.
So they see a safe place to rest and land,
until the next thing they know you close your hand.

So you made them a prize, like a hunter on a quest
put the new light in the jar on your night-table with all the rest.
But once put in your jar, you can't differentiate it at all,
All you can see is the collection of light, brightening your wall.

It's just another contribution to the light in your dark ,
you have no idea what's in it's heart,
and you don't care.

But what the firefly doesn't understand is why  it was pursued so intensely, to be treated as one in the same.
Taken aside from it's carefree flight, by someone who one day won't remember it's name.

So now you have a firefly stuck in your jar amongst the others,
losing it's light, flickering out,
until you let it go.

But why would you?
Little boys need their night lights.