As the days of Summer get longer, I am filled with excitement for the 250th birthday of the United States of America. This nationwide birthday bash will be full of celebrations both large and small and each of us will feel – or choose not to feel – the historical significance and the magnitude of the moment in completely different ways.
I am one who thrives on the celebrations; celebrations of times past and celebrations of momentous occasions that I fold away into my poetic heart to reflect upon later. The last couple of weeks, I’ve found myself looking forward to the upcoming night in July when my husband and I will celebrate this magnificent event aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, California.
I imagine the two of us, surrounded by fellow jubilants, standing upon that weathered flight deck as the sky begins to illuminate with color and the sounds of powerful rocket fire feel the air. When the first bloom of color breaks the darkness, it won’t just be light; it will be a melodic dance of embers lighting the night’s sky with majestic shadows reflecting off the harbor’s glass-like surface.
To watch the fireworks display, which is being celebrated as Port of San Diego Big Bay Boom, an Independence Day Spectacular – https://bigbayboom.com/– from such a storied vessel is to feel the heartbeat of the past beneath my feet, while the sky above will erupt into a kaleidoscope of color, each burst a fleeting stanza in our nation’s long, wandering poem.