a firecracker explodes in the dark~
one bright heartbeat
thrown into night sky
before it fades
We sat at the edge of the river for an hour
Holding our spot with a flimsy blanket
Some bought pillows, children were sleeping
Though strangers, we nodded to each other
On fireworks day, we are all united, all friends
The ship was as beautiful as I had imagined
Moreso, if I am to be honest, with red lights
A clipper ship with red lights, I was entranced
The crowd appeared to be mesmerized
I looked at my new neighbor to the left; he looked thunderstruck
We did not meet each other’s eyes; we were in love
In love with a clipper ship whose sails were blood red
The night went from magical to mystical
A loud streaming screaming something went up behind the ship
Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop Pink fireworks exploded behind the red sails
And I had thought the night could not have been more ethereal
Pretty summer days are really hot,
am I being cooked like crabs in a pot.
Fireworks made me pee my pants,
all wet but I will still dance.
Looks like I hit the big summer jackpot.
bombs bursting in air
red, white, blue America
its celebration
Deep in the forest, critters convene,
decked out in red-white-blue
like a woodland parade gone wild.
Sam the squirrel arrives first
waving a tiny flag
and saluting every oak tree in sight.
The raccoons show up next sporting star-spangled bandanas,
looking suspiciously patriotic
for creatures who steal snacks.
Owls hoot the national anthem
slightly off-key,
but with tremendous heart.
When the fireworks begin, the whole forest gasps~
bursts of color bloom above the treetops
like sky-flowers of freedom.
All the creatures whisper a soft, patriotic chorus:
“God bless America…
and please pass the picnic leftovers.”
Jasmine scent perfumes the air
Under a canopy that’s enchanted.
Laughter sings love’s mighty praises.
Youth itself rejoices in all its glory.
Fiery sparkles in the darkness
Ignite the sky with joy and glitter
Regaling all across the land.
Effervescence and a playful sense of magic
Work wonders for the soul while
Orchestrating bursts of awe and childlike wonder.
Recalling extravagances of a distant past,
Kaleidoscopic visions vivid and magical ~
Surreal evenings forge longlasting memories.
AP: Honorable Mention 2026, Honorable Mention 2026, Honorable Mention 2026
I was in dire need
Of a holiday—some free time,
To stare at the beauty of nature
And not be called a pervert.
Not a play day
To lie with the same old phrases:
New year, new me,
Or this year will be my year.
I felt no need for screaming,
Or firing a million fireworks;
They never change the future,
So I chose to watch from a distance.
To watch the stars fall,
Then meet the rising fireworks,
Then join the happiness—
From nature and from man.
But alas, it did not happen
As easily as it seemed.
I had to join the crowd
And be wild—one last time.
New Year ball falling
Colorful confetti flies
Fireworks maiming
Under the streetlamps, yellowed leaves
drift in ill-fated pairs,
spiralling through the brittle air-
a slow reluctant dance.
Their shadows, stamped on the Earth,
flutter like startled birds,
seeking a phantom escape
from winter's deadly hands.
They brush against a stranger's coat,
clinging for a heartbeat
before the wind wrenches them away-
a cruel puppeteer
that watches them pirouette and writhe helplessly,
carrying them, one by one
into the cold, dying cradle of the Earth.
There they rest
in the borrowed warmth
of a bonfire's reflection
and the sporadic firework
that sputters too weakly
before collapsing into empty embers.
And when all light fades,
and only the sound remains-
they hear
the ominous, melancholy murmur
of leaves crushed
beneath passing feet.
ready for the fourth
such loud angry fireworks
terrorizing dogs
pop pop bang bang bang
instilling ptsd
nightmare for soldiers
Skip adventurous and elegiac
~ for routine and prosaic
fourth of July T-rex was carrying fireworks for the park
They would all be lit in a specific order after it got dark
People were seated on blankets, whispering about this lark.
Luckily, they did not see T-rex, as the park was so dark.
To Americans, July 4th
is Independence Day,
with; barbecues, concerts, fireworks,
picnics, parades, patriotic festivities,
(a.k.a., Freedom Day).
Despite the star-spangled banner's,
red, white and blue,
to that of the British Union Jack,
being identical in hue,
flag-waving they're compelled,
or conditioned, so to do.
The U.S. Constitution does define,
'Treason' as... the only crime
consisting of levying war
against them, and/or,
to their enemies adhering,
with comfort and aid
by all means conveyed.
To those in England,
considering, in 1776,
colonists went their own sweet way,
it's the ultimate 'Treason Day'.
And, altho' the U.S. touts
'Separation of Church and State',
yea, verily I say,
is it not hypocritically unjust
of them to print on their money,
'In God We Trust'?
With dusk fall, fireworks began capturing the eyes.
Shooting spears rose high shedding fluorescent hues.
Confetti of sparks in rainbow colours were sprinkled high,
Etching scintillating designs on the panoramic sky.
All eyes were riveted up, feasting on the wondrous array.
The crowd stood aghast at the pyrotechnic display.
They rise and sparkle and crackle,
Shaming the nakedness of the skies
And the city, with one frightful flame of
Youth,
Burning with the zest of
Seasonal lore.
At Christmas, they salute the days
Creamed by snow and sleet,
Thrusting in us the wisdom of
Global ceremonies.
They are the lightning of Yuletide —
Lightning unaccompanied by rain.
Shaped in balls and spears, and lean
Fragments of flagrant colours,
They are armed with their own thunder —
Thunder that speaks volumes and calms the rage in
Frenetic dogs.
They are coloured paints splashed lavishly across the broadest
Canvas ever —black and seamless
We see through their lens, the running dusts
Of sparks,
The dancing circus of sky-circuits
And the happy wars waged on the frontiers
Of seasons.
They strobe around the cold earth.
New Year’s Eve is riddled with conundrums,
Waking sleepy souls to sneeze up details of
A frazzled year.
The heavens are lit up lavishly,
Electrified to stupor,
Reminding us of choirs that chorus to the tunes
Of life everlasting.
Carousels ride through our minds, young now,
Old tomorrow,
With sparks that shine this moment
And dim the next.
Such is life.
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