July 4th, Some Other Year

We listened to
An American in Paris
on the little cassette player,
and talked about the movie.

Gene Kelly's elegant athletic leaps
Leslie Caron gamin-gorgeous, dancing
by the fountain, both of them taut
with such delicate strength.

There were barely any cars
on the highway when I left
the hospital, so I could hear
my tires spin down that blacktop,
and when I looked up
I saw the fireworks streaming
into the night in those grand strikes
of green and purple,
red, glorious really,
but like bells tolling, like you
were exploding in the sky.