My family and I pick through the fireworks for the holiday tonight
as Ted’s eyes light up with every mention of shooting them off
over the dark lake water.
After hours of excitement and fear pass by,
the sun sinks down into a puddle of soft oranges and pinks.

Booms fill the silent night and challenge the neighbors.
Small flickers fight back but are beaten by our suspending lights.
Our last canon fills the sky with reds, blues, whites, and gold
streaming down on us like confetti.
Ted stands tall and proud until another dock
lights the entire cove on fire with blues and purples.
They won.

Britta and I don’t care, so we skip down to the dock
and dance around the rubble fallen from the sky.
Creaks sound behind us as Ted appears
with a glass of whiskey balanced in his hand.
A limp cigarette dangles from his lips
and fills the wind with a sour smell.
Britta continues to chatter,
and I wonder if I’m the only one who sees
the shadows in his eyes and how his head hangs.
He wanted to impress us but was outdone by strangers.

We walk back up to the house in silence
but my mind is shouting –
How had I never noticed this side of him?
Underneath this layer of joy and positivity
is there darkness and disappointment to him?
Does everyone else have this
or have I been too blind to see it?