It was a beautiful sunny day in Camden, NJ and "Darlin" was prettier than I'd ever seen her before - and she was pretty - all the time. She was a full year older than me and she and her brother who was even a year older than her - and that's old, especially when you're six - would explain everything to me - how to ride your bike and what each flower really was - and why bees buzzed - everything important - you know? I still look around for them when I don't understand something! That's what happens - see?
Well, there she was in short pants and a baton and all dressed up like a flag - white boots - life was just one great big parade of happy things - it just came at you like that every day - you hated when mom called you in for lunch 'cause you might miss something - you know?
Darlin (that was not really her name, but I don't want to give that out) had this long stick with a knob at one end where you held it and some kind of metal thing where you hit it against the ground on the other. You loaded caps into it and tapped it on the street and snap, crackle, pop it went off - wow - not only the prettiest knees in town, but crackety-crack, blam on the street too.
What's this all? I asked and she held up her baton with red, white and blue crepe paper spiraling 'round - "it's because we beat the English in the war." - "Oh", I answered. It was just amazing how much she knew. To this day, when I think of the English, all I see is Darlin's white boots and pretty knees hoppin' along the sidewalk tapping her fourth of July stick on the pavement - "crackety crack, blam"
"Live Free or Die"
Have a great Holiday!!
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