Fires

The fireworks exploded above our heads and then they slid off into soft colors in our eyes. We kissed, then with tamale-stained fingers intertwined, looked up again. Everyone says ooh and ahh when they stand beneath fireworks, and the sounds inescapably came from deep within us, unnoticed by anyone. The colorful tracings transformed into shimmering gold that nearly fluttered down into the bay. We were alone together, yet we were also as one with the great crowd around us, every person with their face upturned. The mariachi music on the loudspeakers had a faraway sound, and she was so near.