"The Moon of July "

"Moon of July "

Greg Budig 2020

We wait in the 

               fading blue twilight.

Amongst the laughter and mosquitoes, 

                     tiki torches and sparklers.

We stare at the 

                 darkening horizon. 

The rowdy flotilla 

           gather across the water.  

The lake is now glass…

            an aquatic smooth mirror. 

Green and red lights 

       reflect upon the quiet surface.

Black Cat's explode 

                in rapid fire clusters!

Bottle rockets soar

             with a whistling report!

Most smuggled in 

           from the dark reaches 

                                 of Wisconsin. 

The artillery then launched 

                      and the sky set ablaze!

Bombastic explosions 

                      on the Fourth of July!!

A ballet of sparks 

                       filled the sky.

And there was the moon,

                          full as an apple. 

Shining amongst the 

                          red, white and blue. 

The celebration of summer 

               had reached its crescendo,

gunpowder drifts in the air. 

And the moon kept on rising, 

             despite all the chaos.  

The crowds on the lake 

                    all packed up to go home.  

Soon it was quiet, 

                 nature claimed back the water. 

The moon and the stars 

                           gently danced all alone.