Saturday, July 03, 2004
Happy Fourth of July!
So many memories come to the fore on this day...
My childhood with family and friends,
picnics and summer fun.
I remember me and my three sisters
writing our names in the black velvet night sky
with sparklers...
I remember my last fourth of July in the US-
My son Michio
and I stood on the rooftop of our apartment building
in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.
The previous years of watching the Macy's
fireworks in NYC made me wise to the unbelievable crowds...
So, just across the river, from our rooftop we watching the
spectacular show on the Hudson River.
The boats like floating matchsticks on a glossy, silvery
waterway reflecting the magic in the skies:
Great booming and thundering blasts of light and color...
I asked my son this year if he remembered it,
and he does...
This year will be quite different than those
past celebrations-
Being an American abroad, one learns to adapt-
Taking your own culture with you, while assimilating
into the new countries' customs.
No, they don't have Fourth of July
fireworks in Japan-
But there are events,
if one is so inclined.
I remember a gig I had one year singing the
National Anthem and a few jazz numbers
in a hangar at the Yokota Air Force Base.
Hotter than Hell it was that day...
My 18 year old son now studies for his semester end exams-
Natsu (summer) fireworks will
be here next month.
I feel this year is the year to remember
past celebrations, and all the people I miss so much...
To all my family and dear friends, where-ever you are,
Have a Happy 4th July!
Till next time... 'Mela
8:02 PM
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Photo: Michio Yves Ueda
