One summer, we spent the most glorious night
Of our lives, discounting , of course
Some nights of love and fireworks.
We went out in a boat on a
Mist covered lake
With guitar and mandatory pop and potato chips
And a baby wrapped in a shawl
There was no moon, just darkness
And lights from shoreline docks
And the sound of the night breathing
It was the night of the meteor shower
And we gazed upward, cricking
Our necks in the process
Suddenly we’d see a flare
A flash, a swooping light
Like a magical illuminated bird
Fleeting as a heartbeat
Bursting like a firecracker
The meteors fell as the mist rose
The lights gleamed on the water
The stars burst forth
He strummed his guitar
And we sang “o very young”
Munching and sipping and shivering
We told ghost stories and looked out
For the Beartrap Lake monster
Even as we shivered, we marveled
At the glorious sky
The stillness of the night
The excitement and contentment
Happiness is ever momentary
Happiness is a meteor shower
On a north Wisconsin lake
Happiness is the comfort and pleasure
Of the company of friends
Music and laughter
The memory of warm waves and waterskiing
And sunshine and starlight
And meteors flashing in the night.
Anita Raturi 