Night of a thousand 'splosions!

I must be getting old if I'm writing this.


let's light em all off, cause we won't live forever!
fire off all the mortars and rockets you mortals!
they will see our display for miles and miles!
the gods this time will hear us and give us big smiles!
nevermind that we'll regret this nights revelry and noise
when in two days on the 4th we only have sparklers left.

it's the fourth of july
and we can't be patient
to save our vast armories
much beyond july 2nd

chicken and ribs, and corn still on the cob
it's bbq time in a backyard with family and friends
the flame licks up on the fat and the foil
and also the fuse of a nearby roman candle
sets off a chain reaction in a bag full of fireworks
and the house catches fire and they all feel like jerks.

it's the fourth of july
and on our spirit lives
so we will cook by open flame
right next to high explosives

bombs burst in the air, and the air smells of sulfur
loud noises and bright light and flashes and fire
an M-80 goes off and just half a block away
a man jumps ten feet straight up and then has a coronary
and somewhere nearby crouched in his unlit bathroom
a sweaty guy with a rifle prepares to beat back insurgents

it's the fourth of july
it's that time of year again
when we do our patriotic duty
and traumatize veterans