Fireworks Poem by Cheryl L. DaytecYañgot

The streets are a sea of revelry, of expectation
The drums beat a deep baritone which
hums in the ears long after it is gone
We rush and force our way into bodies
till we get to the most coveted spot
as if we have a monopoly of the
excitement to follow
Even before we draw a dot or think of beauty
A rampage of brilliant colors and shapes forming
into other shapes shatters the darkness in the sky
Life cannot have a gloomy shade
Silence is the expression of wonderment
Then the sound of crackling glass upsets
the stillness. This sound we must meld with our voices
The children within us shriek in delight, as the
sparks descend into earth like tiny will- o’- the- wisps
The stars in the galaxy vanish behind the sparks that
hold us with such force as if we can never be free
Oh, what sweet captivity.
When the last shower of twinkles loses its brilliance,
How soon after will we sink back into the forbidding
prison of fear of cold, hunger and the darkness?
Then we pray for the next holiday
fireworks that conquer them all.

For a moment, at least.

(Written while watching the fireworks during the Baguio City Panagbenga celebrations in February 2003)