miniature fireworks on the 5th of July

miniature fireworks
on the 5th of July,
as seen by a perpetual amnesiac

I missed almost all of them last night;
my feet were heavy
with steak and Scotch,
and a wall of trees blocked
even a glimpse
of the main event

But,
thanks to neighbors I don't know
and couldn't really see,
I caught some tonight

explosive effusive sparks
of green and gold
blue and red,
moving through orchestrated patterns
faster than my mind's eye,
before consuming themselves
and fading into quiet
and smoke,

only to be followed by another
beautiful monstrosity:
smaller and greater booms,
a mostly harmless
battle-field simulation

For the moment,
they're inspiring:
but in a week,
I doubt I'll remember them
or this poem,
or any of this