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| Photo Credit: webexibits.org |
UNCLE KEVIN & THE FIREWORKS
For
Logan
Mid-June and through July
especially weekend evenings
the nighttime sky erupts
with intermittent flashes of
firelight
and thunderous booms—
Fireworks over Erskine Lake
Ringwood, New Jersey
Summer, 2007
Grandma puts 3 ½ year old Logan to
bed
when a sudden deafening blast
shakes the bedroom
(or so it seems)
Logan reaches for her arm
and says, I'm scared
Of that? asks Grandma
tousling his dark brown hair
Let me tell you a story
about Uncle Kevin
when he was a little boy
not very much older than you…
Not far from here
there's a grassy meadow
we call, "Sally's Field"
Our
family went there
at the end of every summer
to watch a big display of fireworks
We put blankets down
and sat and gazed upward
as brilliant fiery flashes
burst in the darkness
We oooohed and ahhhhed
at their vibrant beauty
as we watched the sky in awe
but it was Uncle Kevin
who liked the booms best of all—
He'd stand up
and wait for a thundering boom
then he'd clutch his chest
as if he were shot
(Uncle Kevin watched too many
cowboy movies, I guess)
then he'd fall to the ground
and laugh
then he'd stand up
wait for the next big boom
clutch his chest
fall to the ground
and laugh
then he'd stand up
wait for the next big boom
clutch his chest
fall to the ground
and laugh
Sleepyhead Logan asks Grandma,
Why
did he laugh?
She replies, Because Uncle Kevin
likes big! bang! booms!
Two weeks pass
Grandma tucks her grandson in again
Again, a fireworks boom rocks the
house
Again, Logan reaches for Grandma
I'm
scared
Again, she says, Let me tell you
a story about when Uncle Kevin
was a boy
This time Logan perks up and says
Uncle
Kevin heard, 'Boom!'
Logan puts his little hands
over his chest, remembering…
He
fell down
Then what happened, asks Grandma
Then he laughed, says Logan
with a grin
Grandma lingers at his bedside
while Logan drifts off to sleep
then kisses him softly
on his forehead and whispers,
God bless you. I love you.
Goodnight.
Maude Carolan Pych
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