fizzled.

bike rides?
yuuuup.
late-night, little kid, headlamp bike rides.
that's the way we doo-doo that 4th-type sh!t.
cycling through the cyclical celebrations of summerytime.
two-wheeling it to town for firework berfday americana.
except,
local fireworks didn't work, at first.
huh?
delays due to "technical" difficulties, neighbors.
awwwwww, man.
battened, unbuttoned open-circuit boards and glitches, b!tches.
delays, that, in their turn,
added an extra set by the village-green center-staging
raging gyspy 80's tribute band who held it down by being
responsible for rocking a cumulative total
of roughly zero socks off of the impatient waiters.
that's a thing.
how about a sh!t-salad sandwich?
yes, please.
it would've gone great with the overall semi-riotous
mood of the disgruntled hate-to-wait duders.
but was it expert, anyway?
it was for the Fusiliers, y'all.
it always is.
worthy warrior poets know about the good things.
y'know,
the ones that come to those who wait?
uh-huh.
we GOT they.
*
we made it rad,
and got loud, fresh,
and rocked hard until the finale, too.
other other people were leaving,
complaining about how late and not-so-great it was,
wallowing in their respective weak-sauces,
and generally not just being dope.
harvest and maple were awesome, however,
and totally hung tough.
even for the 11:15 p.m. bike ride home
down the deep, dark, woodsly roadways.
headed north after a night that sort of went south.
we repped a real life day.
together.
***********
duders.
i have to admit,
the gala on the green was not as bright and cheerful
as it should've been for my immediate family of choice.
real life has a way of reminding us of how serious it is.
...
i have to tell you-
tragedy is not a word i use lightly.
in fact,
i rarely, if ever, find it appropriate.
this is one of the appropriate times:
my brother-in-law drowned yesterday.
my youngest sister, anna's husband.
at a beach party with family and friends,
including his eight-year-old daughter.
it's the most completely awful thing i could think of.
of course, our thoughts are with my sister and her family,
and with his family as well.
i'm so heartbroken for them all.
i know he made my sister very happy,
that he was loved dearly,
and that he will be missed deeply.
***********
as much as it ever can be,
today is the day.
just like every day.
and just like yesterday.
..tomorrow, too.
the unfolding secret universal plan is out there.
what's in store?
c'mon.
it's a secret.
but,
it's all part of the plan.
that's the real mutha-F* of the thing.
every unfair, awful, miserable event is part of it.
everything is.
it's universal, after all.
hey,
you're part of it.
keeping the faith is all we can do.
the whole concept of faith is a belief in something
that for all intents and purposes is almost certainly pretend,
yet provides a concrete framework for behavior
based entirely in and on intangible entities.
that's where the lightning-striking viking value system rules.
every moment has led up to this one,
and there is only ever this one.
that's a hard style.
but it's a real thing.
dealing with What Is.
enduring the bitter,
savoring the sweet,
and doing what needs to be done.
gratitude and generosity, friends.
the key ingredients.
appreciating what is,
and sharing this moment with folks who matter.
i am grateful for the time i have been given.
and for those i span it with.
*
this one gets a moment of silence;
.....