Middle Of The Dead End Street
Folding Tables Connect
Brought From Different Homes
PotLuck Dinner At Dusk
On The Family Block
Kids With Sparklers
Running In The Safely Blocked Off
Road Like June Bugs
Sideway Parking Stopping Traffic
Back Then
Dad’s Had Luxury Vans
Mom’s Had Station Wagons
And The Country Had A Gas Crisis
But On This Day
We Were Independent
The Sun Went Down
With Some Drinks
Corks Popping With Fireworks
Hitting The Potholes
As Neighbors Started
Tearing Down Fences
Setting Each Other Off
Before Wine Rot
Took Hold To Far
The Block Captain
Started Shooting Off
His Bottle Rockets
And Under The Scent Of Sulfur
We Enjoyed An Array Of Colors
Fall And Fade Way Past Bedtime
The Next Morning
Blast Pock Marks
And Paper Scraps
As A Grandmother
Newly Arrived
Asian Immigrant Family
Not Invited To The Festivities
Took Her Daily Walk
Early In The Morning
On The Opposite Street Side
From Here Home
As Not To Set Off
Any More Fireworks
By Passing In Front Of
The Wrong House
In The Neighborhood