July Fourth

JULY 4TH I hate to say it but “In the old days – (will all the ancient folk ever tire of retelling?) July 4th was a big BIG day! Up at crack-of-dawn if you were a kid With red salutes 4 inches round 6 inches long You could blow a tin can as high as the phone wires Bounce torpedoes off the neighbor’s brick garage Few ever complained because most everyone was doing it Except for Hattie and Maude two ancient sisters who lived behind their broken down green board fence They complained – said the kids collapsed their stupid broken down green board fence (which everyone knew had been leaning for years) ‘Done it with them there awful fire crackers’ said Maude ‘You better believe it!’ said Hattie At night the little ones were out on the front lawns whirling sparklers clear on down the block The city sky was a riot of showering colors clear on downtown And the NOISE! If there’s been a band around Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever would’ve drowned No it was one continuous canons blasting – the end of 1812 Around about 10: P.M. just after dark The little ones spent and in spite of the noise Dropped onto their beds too tired to even undress