Ragamuffin Ramblings

4th of July by Ben Shive
The first star of the evening
Was singing in the sky
High above our blanket in the park

And by the twilight's gleaming
On the 4th day of July
The city band played on into the dark

And then a cannon blast
A golden flame unfolding
Exploded in a momentary bloom

The petals fell and scattered
Like ashes on the ocean
As another volley burst into the blue

But the first star of the evening never moved

We stood in silence
The young ones and the old
As the bright procession passed us by

A generation dying
Another being born
A long crescendo played out in the sky

This nation, indivisible
Will perish from the earth
As surely as the leaves must change and fall

And the band will end the anthem
To dust she will return
So the sun must set on all things, great and small

But the first star of the evening
Will outlive them all