July: San Francisco

I stand on the wall of a steep crater that cups a city of excited criminals

and those who secretly celebrate policemen.

Booms that echo against the sandy, high mountain face hit my back.

The summer chatter reminds me of a fizzing fuse.

Light grey clouds float like dryer lint

trying to hide their smiles,

but the red, white, and blue fireworks illuminate the upward curling of their lips,

making the clouds stand out against a polluted graphite sky.

Specks of light shoot up,

spindly smoke following them,

lingering in the air like a scar.

The firework booms, and the clouds muffle its brightness,

colorful light glittering like lightning bugs in a bush.

Belen Rivera ‘26

This piece paints the image of a fourth of July celebration in San Francisco, California. I was about eight and remember vividly how it was too foggy to see any of the fireworks and learning that they were illegal. It captures a moment in time from my life.