It begins, as most things do, quietly.

I wake just before dawn, pulled by a strange pull in my chest. I flutter outside, the world hushed and silver under a heavy moon.

Past the trees, past the fields, I find the pond.

I kneel, peering in.

At first, I search for my own reflection.
But the water only shows ripples of light – tiny glimmers, darting and blinking across the surface.

I am a star–
distant, steady, burning high above,
a fixed point to guide, impress, or outshine.

In the ripples, I am beautiful–
a scattered constellation of flickers,
each shimmer like a star winking softly in the night.
I am light, delicate and radiant,
a dance of sparks on a glassy sea.

But then I stare deeper into the reflection,
The surface is still – glassy, perfect.

In the reflection, a creature’s wings torn and tangled, buzzes intrusively in the silence.
My legs jerk awkwardly,
antennae twitching with frantic energy,
my shell cracked and dull, covered in pollen, dust and tiny scars.

The glow I thought was steady flickers wildly,
like a faulty lamp threatening to go out.

The truth screams, loud and grotesque,
raw and undeniable–
and I cannot look away.

Here, under the moon, I realize–
I am not a star.

I am a bug.

I reach out.

My claws skim the water, but instead of shattering like glass, the pond seems to breathe –
small sparks rising into the air, drifting like whispers.
In the ripples, I am indistinguishable from the stars–
a scattered constellation of flickers,
the light and the shadow.

And in that shimmering in-between,
I find myself.

– Kyle Eun

Author’s Note: This poem reflects my thoughts on identity and the tension between how we want to see ourselves and what we fear we are. I wanted to explore how, in moments of honesty, we sometimes confront our flaws or insecurities — but also how those moments can lead to a deeper acceptance of who we are, in all our light and shadow. The firefly became my symbol for that in-between space: fragile, imperfect, but still capable of beauty. Writing this piece was a way of finding comfort in the truth that even in our flickering and brokenness, we can still shine.