Independence from a Balcony
This was one of those times I felt fully awake and fully present, aware of everything around me. I tried to capture it as best I could.
Tonight is light and dark;
sound and silence;
color and faded monotones.
I wonder what it would be like
up in a plane, looking down to see
the earth exploding in shining multi-colored bursts –
red, blue, green, gold, white, purple.
Curious, how we celebrate freedom
with the sounds of war:
boom of cannon fire, crackle of machine gun,
and the undertone –
the hissing sizzle, as if
even this display of power has protesters.
Above and below me,
the light show not made in China:
stars and their summer counterparts,
lightning bugs, winking at each other
in some cosmic Morse code,
as if to say, “This too shall pass.”
I hear the disembodied cheers of neighbors
victorious in their lawn chairs
and fat from burgers and rocket-shaped popsicles.
The wind is rushing the trees nowhere,
they are black charcoal smudges
against a navy blue-washed sky,
illuminated inconsistently.
They nod their appreciation to each other,
somehow in time to the music floating over the water.
I sense more than see
the bats sweeping around me,
silent custodians removing the clutter of mosquitos.
Blade-thin wings slicing their piece
of summer’s insect feast.
I am glad my friends are gone,
that I can stand alone on the roof
to watch and think,
uncompelled to murmur my admiration.
Instead, writing this in my head.
becky323
Really nice visuals from this piece. I love the descriptions of the bats as “silent custodians”. We seem to have a similar style.
andrewdavidking
This is a very strong piece—you should consider seeking publication for it in a journal, if you haven’t already.
Michael Douglass
Great piece, great thoughts.
moorefaith
thanks to you all for your kind words and encouragement. you all made my monday! :)
TarrandDeV
Well done, tight poem solid imagery.