The Aftermath - Magpie Tales, Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The streets are filled with litter,
Sulphurous smells are in the air,
The aftermath of revelry,
Gave some of us a scare.
Children handling fireworks,
Amateurs, at best,
No adults to supervise them,
I think you know the rest!
We heard the squeal of laughter,
Then firecracker blast,
The lot exploded in his hand,
Which now is in a cast.
The 4th of July celebration,
Is sad at a new day's dawn,
A lesson so painfully learned,
A young boy's finger is gone.
Carmen Henesy
Copyright (c) 2010 by Carmen Henesy
I am participating in Willow's Magpie Tales
All rights reserved
All too often it happens the way you have described ... written so well.
ReplyDeleteOuch... no that's not a happy story for sure.
ReplyDeleteyes very sad indeed when children don't realize their mortality...and even sadder once they do.
ReplyDeleteAaahh! Poor thing. It is entirely the parents fault.
ReplyDeleteWe get this on November 5th. (Guy Faulkes Night.) Though nowadays there are more organised firework displays and less back garden do it yourself jobs.
Maggie X
Nuts in May
Hi Carmen! I see that you're back in great shape!! Wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteBlogtrotter Two is showing some incredible rocks by the sea... Enjoy and have a great week!
You surely are able to measure time in a different, amazing way. Please have a great Wednesday.
ReplyDeletedaily athens
It's a sad reality for sure! You're so great with words..
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, it's always the next day news. Nicely rendered.
ReplyDeleteI remember my brother blowing up a small firecracker in his hand. I shoved it into the icee I was drinking. Fortunately he suffered nothing more than a small burn, but some kids are horribly injured every year.
ReplyDeleteThis one really strikes home for me. My parents always took special care (I'll HIT you--grin!) to keep me from handling fireworks, etc. They said, "Because of your hands (violin)...and I HATED my hands.
ReplyDeleteSo your Magpie story is so true to life, so real, and so well versed, that I applaud you, Carmen!
Helen -
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words.
Sharkbytes -
No, not a happy ending to my 4th fireworks poem, but, then, so often the ending isn't happy.
Caty -
You are so right. Children, too often, think they are invincible and they learn the hard way.
Maggie May -
I am always so happy when municipalities do their own fireworks displays and children don't try to do shoot of fireworks themselves. It is so much safer for everyone.
Trotter -
Thankfully, I am finally on the mend. Blogtrotter 2 is so fortunate to be traveling. I am living vicariously through him.
ρομπερτ -
Hope Athens, midweek, is a fun place to be and that you are not working too hard!
Icy BC -
Isn't it sad that such a wonderful holiday often ends with tragedy? We always read about mishaps in the news the day after the 4th!
Tumblewords -
Exactly - sad news the day after all the celebration.
secret agent woman -
I remember getting burned once by a sparkler I was holding. I just didn't want to let it go!!!
steveroni -
I can imagine that your parents worried about you playing with fireworks...but aren't you glad that you never injured your hands!!!
Carmen, you are a wet blanket! :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember the day after, going through the old fireworks looking for fizzers so we could enjoy a small reprise!