Friday Night Pastime
by Carl Palmer

Eight-dollar admission ticket includes
a hot dog, bag of chips and soft drink.
Parking another five, a reasonable fee
to see our local Triple-A minor league
baseball team, the Tacoma Rainiers.

All season, all summer, every Friday,
10 PM, is “Light the Sky Spectacular.”
Fireworks fired, win or lose, an event
my three-year-old grand-boy has yet
to see, why he, his dad and I are here
to watch the 7:05 home game tonight.

However not in the ballpark, but across
Hwy 16 from Cheney Stadium in the
free Park and Ride lot by Home Depot,
the popular place for viewing fireworks,
shared with others having the same idea.
Filling the lot are lawn chairs, blankets,
baskets, coolers, and BBQ grill w/sign,
Hot Dog–All The Way–One Dollar

We follow the play-by-play broadcast
on KHHO 850 AM radio through the
open back door of a Volkswagen van,
hear cheers from the ballpark bleachers,
share binoculars to see the scoreboard,
trading fist bumps and high fives until,
“Game over. Let the light show begin.”

Eyes sky-ward, first zoom, bright flash,
loud boom, crescendos crackle, sparkles
reflect off our faces, whoopees and wows
while pointing again at the best one yet.

I look at my son holding his son, think back
when he was young sitting on my shoulders.
The feel of his little legs hugging my neck,
holding his hands snug against my cheeks,
his chin resting on top of my head, safe.
Earmuffs muffling the bigger big bangs,
My Grand-boy sound asleep at his first
of many more Tacoma Rainier games.



 

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