%20(2)_edited_j.jpg)
The Last Firefly
Candles lean in their holders,
wax pooling like slow tears.
Kerosene lamp breathes a golden circle
across the table where we once sat.
Outside, lanterns swing from the porch rails,
their light thinning into the dark.
Moonlight slips between the trees,
cool and silver,
while a single firefly rises
and falls like a thought
too small to hold.
Fhen M. has received multiple recognitions, including second place in the 1st Chito Roño Literary Awards in the Waray poetry (siday) category and several daily wins in the DYVL Siday Contest, a radio-based poetry competition. His published works include “Bamboo House” and “Homing” in Horseshoe (Spring 2024 and Fall 2025, respectively). His poem “Shadow Puppet” has been accepted by Straylight Literary Magazine, while “Bookcase in the House of My Ancestors” and “Spending the Night on Planet Mars” appear in Well Read Magazine: Best of 2024, Vol. 1.