the human torch

one year
at the carnival up the road
where
the shopping mall
used to be
they had a fireworks display.
we sat on the hill,
my son and I,
eating cotton
candy
and watched.
the small man who lit the fuses
ran to each rocket
with his lighter,
bent over,
his long
hair tied back into
a pony tail.
at some point he caught
fire,
but kept running to each
new rocket
sending it swirling into
the air
where it exploded with a loud
boom
and a spray of flowered sparks.
finally,
people from the crowd
knocked the man
to the ground
and rolled him in blankets
until the fire
was put out.
the ambulance came and there
was a quiet murmur
throughout the crowd.
my son turned to me
as they took the burned man
away and said,
I guess that's it for this year,
dad.