Mexican Firecrackers

The street lights are out again this evening
our scene is illuminated by a pregnant swiss cheese moon
and darkened slightly by a lonely cloud sailing by
lost and searching for the Gulf of Mexico

Somewhere in the distance Spanish music is playing
and an occasional shout is heard
through the wind dancing with the live oak trees
that play with shadows on the stucco walls

It’s a quiet night in the neighborhood
and the children feel safe to come out and play
in the streets with their bats and balls
and their dreams intact

Johnny, Billy, and Marika know they don’t have any worries
not on this night of a thousand dreams
that echoes through their lives sharp and jalapeno tangy
like Mexican firecrackers