South York

Bloom

I don't know what happened next-

maybe I

was the one who kicked over the firework stand.

Maybe I triggered the percussive bloom

that spread on my neighbor's front porch.

All I know is

the stand fell over and my friends dove into the bushes and watched

my neighbor race out, shirtless, his pale chest glistening in the June sun

and frantically uncoil his water hose

and then give up, hands thrust in pockets, head resigned, "What now?"

Maybe, my father said, maybe

We shouldn't have done that.