04. July 2012 · 4 comments · Categories: Photos

Our friend Wendy invited us to her place last night for a party followed by a rooftop viewing of the fireworks Milwaukee puts on in honor of the Fourth of July along Lake Michigan.

The moon was full and glorious and cast its light on the still water. Most of the chairs on the roof were pointed away from it toward Veterans Park, where the hour-long fireworks display took place just off the coast. Several boats surrounded the area; the people on half of them would have had to completely turn around to even notice the moon. A few of us up on the roof pressed against the railing to take pictures of it. But when the fireworks began, our attention shifted south.

I started taking pictures, not sure how they would turn out. At some point early on I realized that I could get the moon and the fireworks in the same shot, every shot, the moon sitting quietly, consistently on the left, burning its gaze on to the lake, while the fireworks, on the right, vacillated among frenetic, grand, gyrating, ear-shattering, choreographed to thrill. Like a little kid running around yelling, “Look at me, look at me, look at me!”

All the while the moon kept whispering, Hey. I’m right over here. 

I’m still here.

I’m still here.

4 Comments

  1. In my humble opinion, the moon wins. I enjoyed this post and the pictures more than I did the fireworks last night. I remember thinking last night that I’d rather be sitting in a chair on a porch somewhere with a nice glass of wine looking at the moon in piece and solitude. Thanks.

  2. I completely agree with John!

  3. I despise fireworks. When I worked downtown I learned that birds get so terrified during the fireworks show that they fly into buildings and die in their panic to escape. A special crew had to go out in the morning to pick up their bodies.

    The moon never did that to anybody.

    Beautiful post, Robin.

  4. I agree with you three: Moon wins. Denise, I really hate your story. Rather, I really hate what we humans perpetrate on other living things. I have never known a more fireworks-crazed place than Milwaukee. It’s remarkable, and not necessarily good-remarkable.

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