Arctic Fire Bugs

The Arctic Fire Bugs Ice nights are the playpen For the kids born to this land Skating rinks and bowling shoes Never touched a hand Or foot that kicked at blocks of ice As thick as you are tall They scoff at jackets toss their hats While through the drifts they crawl Gather wood and getting high by tearing limbs from trees Boozing up to get a buzz in temperatures that freeze Building up a bonfire that will signal all their friends Friday night is party night till sirens scream the end Now it comes the fun part when they run from chasing cops Scatter all directions and ignoring calls for “stop”-- Game they play that irritates and costs the city bucks-- What else is there to do unless they steal the fire trucks? Note: In Alaska outback, bonfire is the key meeting place for teens--this poem is based on my teen son and his mode of fun in Valdez, Alaska--350+ miles from the next city--a town at the end of a long road (the Richardson Highway) with only one town tat the edge of the Bering Sea (often called North Sea). Fire and Ice Contest November 27, 2012 Victoria Anderson-Throop