It was the anticipation, I remember.
The quiet.
Sitting with my brothers and my dad
On a starlit night
Out later than normal
Later than is allowed…
Beneath a wondrous sky
Why do we never see this sky?
Then a soft thump like a sudden pulse.
A dimly glowing ball rises
Only when the arc completes, a burst of color…
We watched to see the last spark fade (who can find it?)
Then only smoke fading
And stars always stars
We glance at one another
Eager
Don’t want miss…
Thump.
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
Glory
(Once in a while a big white boom that echoed through the night, making us jump and cover our ears and grin)
Our arms around each other, waiting in the quiet.
It is the darkness that bestows the light.
The silence that defines the sound.
So much we are missing
Wanting always more
And only more