4th of July

Write to Obama and tell him to start listening to the people with big hearts and stop listening to the safe grey people with small minds. Then maybe he can think about a country worth believing in, again.

Sorry - I guess that's stealing from your mood, but it's been in my head these last few days. @!$%#ing politicians :(

I do like the poem, and especially your son's anger. That sort is the good sort!

Heh, heh...First time (and last time) I had an episode of complete agoraphobia/claustrophobia or some combination of the two was when my then boyfriend dragged me to watch Fourth fireworks, oh, some 19 years ago...I do like fireworks, but flag-waving crowds I can do without. It has to be the most external, superficial, meaningless display of patriotism.

19 years later, my now-father of our kids takes our son to race car shows, and they religiously sit out the star-spangled banner and pledge of allegiance. He says it's the best way to express their American freedom.

Somehow, they've so far managed to avoid being lynched by the race-car crowd...

I know what I'd say....it's not a 'celebration of violence', but a celebration of those who went before us and what they did to hand us the best system of governance on earth.

At the moment I kind of agree with your son. But I am sitting here at home just listening to the sounds of the fireworks. I don't have the benefits of the pretty colors... normally I enjoy fireworks and like to take photos of them.

But then I also have to deal with the idiots who drive over to Wisconsin to purchase the illegal fireworks. Just a lot of noise that I will continue to hear for at least the next couple of weeks.

i always want the fireworks to be more to be
a thing from my fantasy a thing
brilliant with passion and belief and more
that someone, somewhere thought was worth making
into a scene across the sky.

That is the great thing about fantasy. It can be whatever you wish it to be.

Don't lose hope...it is a precious commodity and in short supply!

I hear you loud and clear. Am I wrong, or is the drving emotion pity?

My fairy tale view of the fireworks is the celebration I imagine took place when we declared our independence from the British but yes, it was certainly symbolic of war, the rocket's red glare, bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. I imagine the flag meant something then, meant something idealistic about this new nation that meant freedom. WTF happened? Still, I always get a nostalgic feeling about that early time when I see the fireworks, imagining the sense of possibility that might have filled hearts in this new dream. Ah, I am an idealist at heart, so I need my fairy tales of promise...even thought that promise has been so corrupted.

I like your poetry Celestina :)

The 26th January is Australia Day. I fail to see what is worth celebrating about more than 200 years of white colonisation and cultural domination, but I guess a better way of looking at it is to think ahead with hope and positivity to what I can do each day to make this a good place to live.

All the fear in people is what makes them cling to their twisted ideal of patriotism and they never once imagine that one could love their country and still be able to criticise the heart of it.

The racial and sexual vilification I have seen around here lately makes me very sad.

I think it's really pointless to celebrate what's gone before because in doing that, we blindly ignore the bad bits and glorify a country that never really was. Better to truly live the now.

"You take the blue pill, the story ends, you awake in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. " - Morpheus

Looks like you took the red pill Celestina. Besides perhaps explaining your red-locks, after the red pill you can no longer walk numbly through the purple haze of Patriotism. I'm deep in the rabbit-hole and it's not all bad, but that red pill really drops your bullsh*t tolerance level to zero.

I like the poem, and I like watching fireworks, provided they're far enough away from me.

You ever feel like July 4th is a celebration of a check that's been in the mail for 200 years?

"Congratulations! You've won freedom, equality, brotherhood, prosperity....just as soon as we beat these British/Indians/Confederates/Mexicans/Spanish/Germans/Chinese/Russians/VietCong/Muslims..."

I prefer to look at the 4th as a celebration of an act of blatant treason....all the signers of the Declaration were British and therefore traitors to their country and not patriots at all.

Well, I love it when you do poetry, but fireworks have always turned me off. Too much bang, too much sulfur, not enough pretty and it entirely ephemeral. I kind of agree with your kid. We had fireworks going on near me well past 1:00 pm last night, and I hated it. I hated thinking how terrified it was making the little feral kittens on my front porch. And I hated to think that most Americans are the kind of people more interested in making loud noises than thinking. But -- that's what I thought. I guess I got a red pill, too, Orlando.

I took great pleasure in reading your poem.

The 4th of July. Lots of flag waving, lots of yelling and all that hooplah.
We've got something similar over here. The 12th of July.
From some evidence I've seen in Northern Ireland this year,
they seem to have designed a new flag for it and everything.

Flag waving is all well and good folks, but just think,
who the hell are you waving it at?

-Dave

..well I had to work on Friday so I didn`t get to partake in the displays this year...but I did get to ride through rural Virgina and come to the firm conclusion American is alive and well...beautifull thing I thought ..hated to work but was most glad I did...listen and understand what I saw.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkdhsqXzeAU

...had to work Friday...terrible economy..yeah right...but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the day,I had to ride through rural Virgina..and through numerous towns sang in this song ...if I can make a suggestion...road trip.....!

My favorite part of the 4th was spending most of it with my kids and explaining to them why wearing red,white,and blue means nothing without understanding the why of it. Its not just a day off, thought I @!$%#ing LOVE that it is or an opportunity to get drunk (though it seems to be that as well). Its become as commercialized as any other National Holiday and that is sad...the McFourth of July!

The fireworks dont really impress me, especially the idiots that like to shoot them off once most of us (read:my kids) are finally asleep.

I actually did see how ingrained the fireworks, less their meaning, have become to many in society at about 950pm last night (7/6) when I heard some bangs out in front of my townhouse. I opened the front door only to see a lone redneck (not meant to offend, just illustrate) sitting on the curb in front of his house, alone, shooting off really piss-poor fireworks. Why? I thought, but now after reading the comments here, I think Orlando was right, he ate the blue pill.