The Fireworks
Image by Tim Oliveira from Pexels
Long before it was an organised celebration
Guy Fawkes Night was a familial event.
The bonfire built carefully over weeks
in a different backyard each year.
Everyone brought fireworks.
None of our families were well off,
so each child only brought a few
and the mothers made parkin
and treacly bonfire toffee
for this night alone.
It was special.
Terry Liquorice didn’t live in our street,
but in the Level Crossing House.
We knew him from school
and visiting to look at,
but never to touch,
his father’s model railway.
His family was less needy
and he brought two big boxes
stuffed full with exotic fireworks.
It took just one stray spark to set them off.
Multiple rockets lit up the night sky,
competing with coloured balls
fired from roman candles.
Catherine-wheels were unleashed free
to wander with jumping jacks
and Penny Bangers.
It was a show to remember
but Terry never came back again.
For more like this, try these:
- At Maple Park for Fireworks – Celebrating with Fireworks
- How Pan’s People Kept the British Dancing – Remembering 70s Pop Culture
- Mum’s Christmas Pudding – Nostalgic Poetry for Christmas
- Hello Again, Autumn – Welcoming the Autumn Season
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Lynn White
Lynn White lives in North Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice, events, places, and people she has known or imagined. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and a Rhysling Award.
