Chad Smitson

The distinct but distant stars

Peeked out of a navy blue sky

Mirrored by the lake-water.

We lounged in a sailboat,

Far from shore and other boats,

With necks craned up,

Anticipating a spectacle.

As we counted the days until graduation

From the academy, we enjoyed

Each other’s company before scattering

To our home countries: American, China

And Mexico. We traded memories

From the all too brief summer, often

Doubled over in laughter. A stream

Of light erupted from a barge close by,

Suddenly igniting the sky and lighting up

Our amazed faces. We lay on our backs

As we floated directly beneath the fiery

Display and whooped in genuine jubilee.

For a moment, the stars lost their luster

As the explosions of flame outshined them

And the sky burned in reds, whites, and blues

But as suddenly as it began, the celebration

Ceased in descending chandeliers of light

That trickled down from the heavens

As the night lit up like sunset and then

Switched off. The stars seemed to twinkle

A goodbye to their departed friends, and as I

Sailed us back to barracks, we were left

With the darkness and stars, missing

The summer before it had even ended.