Apaches claim their ancestors
all dance across the onyx sky
then rush to hide where Sun has gone,
a desert world dark, cold, and dry.

The Greeks envision angry sparks
as Hephaestus wields his hefty hammer
to fashion weapons for the gods
or create Achilles' golden armor.

To me they're like the lightning bugs
that flicker on then off in flight
their incandescence much too brief
yet comfort for the soul at night.

These shooting stars flit by and fade
before a man can contemplate.
They symbolize that lives are streaks.
Act now and don't procrastinate.