The sparkler does not know it is temporary.

The sparkler does not know it is temporary.

It burns with everything it has
for exactly as long as it can
and does not apologize
when the light runs out.

A child holds it like a sword.
A teenager holds it like a cigarette.
A mother holds it at arm's length
watching her children wave theirs
like they are writing their names
on the dark.

And they are.

Every arc of light
is a signature
that the night will forget by morning
but the child will remember at forty
when they hold a sparkler for their own child
and understand for the first time
that the burning was never about the fire.

It was about the hand that held it.
And who was standing close enough
to see the light on their face.

#July4th #July4th2026 #4thOfJuly #4thOfJuly2026 #FourthOfJuly #FourthOfJuly2026 #FreedomPoetry #Poetry #Sparklers #IndependenceDay #WhatFreedomMeans #Notes