I could not wait to find a few moments to attempt this prompt Carpe Diem Ghost Writer #29, “Pop culture references in haiku and senryu”. from our host’s Ghost Writer, Jen from Blogitorloseit trying to think of some song, a fad, something that could have a hidden meaning within my haiku and then I saw the prompt for Carpe Diem #581, Hanabi (Fireworks).

I started multitasking between phonecalls at work and surfing YouTube for samples of fireworks from the International Montreal Fireworks we have every summer. That is held on Saturdays and Wednesday…how I got caught many times on the Jacques Cartier Bridge on Wednesday evenings coming home, forgetting it was that time of year only to be turned back to take the tunnel Louis H. Lafontaine…not my happiest nights nearing midnight.

I will show a small glimpse of only 2 minutes of the fireworks just so you can see from the view of us ordinary citizens watching from the streets, some are on the Jacques Cartier Bridge {which is closed for residents on both sides of the St Lawrence…I live on the South side off the island of Montreal} and that is the bridge you see illuminated from time to time in some of these shots.

Wasn’t that amazing! It is exciting, romantic and I feel like the child within me is reborn every time I see fireworks. I like this brief video as it shows folks gathering on streets and on the bridge.

Now I listened to the other video below a few times to catch the songs. I first chose a video of Japan 2013 which is spectacular and thought it might be appropos for a haiku but then I wanted to honour our host and looked for an entry of the Netherlands but as I was surfing for this, I kept finding Italy…so many from Italy and thought to myself, well let’s have a look and listen to one and see what that’s like. When we look from the bridge and parks near the site on Isle Ste-Hélène (old home of Expo 1967 Man and His World) we do not hear the music that goes along with the fireworks. There are a few radio channels that air it live so some people will turn that on so we can hear but for me, I enjoy being dazzled by the lights.  In this case, you really had to have the music to appreciate this spectacular show of lights in the skies.  Georgia,  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

After viewing the video, I knew this was perfect for the Pop Culture and Fireworks prompts…and listening was as important as viewing, so this is my attempt according to this video:

Great balls of fire
rocking the world,
penny loafers

penny loafers
faint in exaltation
trodden beetles

trodden beetles
flashing love me do’s
no stones unturned

no stones unturned
can’t get no satisfaction,
misanthrope

misanthrope
can’t live without you
disco-nnected

disconnected,
blazing heavens stir
flushed face reflects

flushed face reflects
brilliance of explosion,
transient stars

transient stars
dancing suggestively,
dirty

dirty,
children beg on streets
feeding families

feeding families
hope restored, they chant,
“We will survive”!

© Tournesol `14