Before Kennywood
banned bring—in food,
we packed eggplant "parm,"
spaghetti, watermelon, salads--
no cooking on common use grills
for our family.

After a morning of rides
we spread out across two picnic tables—
cousins, aunts, uncles,
grandma, parents—
to eat and talk
and talk and eat
until the long day's sun
burned the sky away.

Darkness brought
fireworks fighting
with the moon for sky space
as we festooned the lower air
with light by
running with sparklers
as the adults cleaned up the picnic.

When all lights
and noise gave
way to the quiet,
cool twinkling of stars,
and moon declared
victory over the man-made lights,
we piled into assorted Oldsmobiles,
Fords, and Studebakers
and headed home.


© by Joan Leotta.
Used with the author's permission.