HEARTILY

When we were kids 
we used to chase fireflies in the dark 
and put them in a jar.

They glowed for a while, 
then their light faded, 
and finally there was darkness.

The same thing happens with the heart
now.

It burns first,
then it goes out.

Peycho Kanev is the author of 12 poetry collections and three chapbooks, published in the USA and Europe. His poems have appeared in many literary magazines, such as: Rattle, Poetry Quarterly, Evergreen Review, Front Porch Review, Hawaii Review, Barrow Street, Sheepshead Review, Off the Coast, The Adirondack Review, Sierra Nevada Review, The Cleveland Review and many others.