night air

fireflies, gated hard on purpose: night, no rain, a warm biome, gentle wind, and summer when the calendar is home. each firefly blinks on its own clock, the swarm drifts on a breeze and grounds in strong wind, and they thin out after midnight — fireflies keep reasonable bedtimes. because the gate is strict, their presence means something: tonight is a good night, and the world is saying so.

the almanac's line is planned, once a year, for the first firefly of the season: "the fireflies came back." an event worth a porch.