Crimson Fireworks Burst

Crimson fireworks burst
across the midnight sky,
the moon obscured
by smoke growing
and floating in the night.

Family members wish
for good fortune,
the noise chasing away
the evil spirits.
As the fireworks boom
when the fuse ignites, the roar
of the dragon’s voice

bursts out of the hush
in the dark, and everything
that sleeps awakens
to the fireworks singing.

by Joy Kurosawa
5th grade, Na‘au