Back into hibernation

I live in Seward. We are the Fourth of July City. That means the Fourth of July is crazy. If you've never been here for the Fourth, you are missing a celebration like no other. We start and end the day with explosions and have something for everyone in between. Patriotic concerts, colorful dances, a square full of crafts, lectures and a parade fill the day's schedule.

This year was my 21st Fourth of July in Seward. The Fourth was the first major event I covered after I started at the Independent. I went to the fireworks that night and was still at work the next day. Keep in mind, I wasn't living *in* Seward yet. I was staying with a cousin in Firth, about an hour's drive away. Granted, I was 21 years younger than I am now, so the quick turnaround was no big deal.

This year, when I got home after a full day and sat down on the couch, I found myself wishing I weren't a muggle and could use the accio charm to get myself a glass of water without having to get back up. The force would also work, but alas, I'm not a Skywalker.

Anyway, as I was walking home, I was trying to keep my mind occupied so I didn't turn into a zombie just shuffling along, so I was thinking about potential lines for a haiku poem about the Fourth of July. Yes, haiku. Yes, I am an extreme English nerd, apparently. Then I realized haiku wasn't quite long enough, so I expanded the idea to a cinquain poem.

A brief digression - neither haiku nor cinquain have to rhyme. Both forms are based on the number of syllables per line. Haiku is a three-line form with a 5-7-5 count. Cinquain is six lines with 5-7-5-7-7-5 as its counts. So here's what I came up with.

Haiku attempts
Gunpowder haze fills
nooks and crannies. Silence means
one thing - July 5.

Today’s rain shower
washes away the remnants
of yesterday’s show.

Cinquain attempt
The smell of powder
lingers as its gray haze wafts
away on the breeze.
The silence deafens just as
the shells that shattered the calm.
Peace returns at 12.


And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.