4th of July With The Moon

By Kevin Masmela

I watched fireworks

try to kiss the moon tonight

an attempt worth watching

on my sunroof for (x) amount of hours.

I counted a total of 386 attempts

before the crescent glowed red

& white. The sky was not blue,

but there I was, my cigarette still

fading into the city lights while the stars

stuttered like no vacancy signs.

I saw smoke swallow clouds

for the first time, as I realized how

many times my folks invited me here

to watch the willows serenade the sky.

Not once did I ever show up, yet,

here I am, alone among these palm trees

that always seem to keep me company.

Finally, I counted one of the final attempts

& realized that they were never going to

reach the moon, that these palms

would always be distant shadows

and that this home will

never be home again.

By Kevin Masmela