The Match is the spark that begins it all. It’s a mere tiny flicker of flame that by itself can do little good or harm. It must be struck with force against an abrasive resistance and its little light should be coaxed into a glimmering yellow filled with promise and potential. Left to its own devices the match will weaken and disintegrate, but when treated harshly and challenged, the little sulfur tipped stick springs to its own defense….lashing and lunging toward the abuser. Failure to respect a peaceful match could result in the aggressor getting burned. If one wishes to extinguish the match, kid gloves will not work. One must shake it, blow on it and stomp it into submission while being certain its spark has been extinguished for all time.
If the Flame is permitted to flourish, it will rise upward with increasing heat and growing intensity. It will range around the glowing match looking for additional fuel to accelerate its growth. The flame struggles for life as it begins to consume its host…the match. At its outer limits it burns a burnished yellow, but as one’s sight slips toward the inner core, the flame shifts color to blue then to a white-hot center. While entrancingly impressive, the little match flame has no real power. It does however have immense potential if it comes into contact with any highly combustible material. Its tiny combination of heat and light could be transformed into a towering conflagration that could consume everything in its path. It would become dangerous, deadly and undeterred.
The quiet but critical member of the firecracker is the fuse. Although it is combustible, it is tightly wound to limit and control the flame. The little fire must struggle and squirm as it consumes its way along the fuse. It emits a distinctive but misleading sizzle as it sucks the life from the silent string. The “hiss” we hear is a near-silent reminder that the task is underway, but the goal has not been reached. The outcome has not been determined. We anticipate the end. Some of us do so apprehensively, and others gleefully await the fateful contact. As the fizzling fuse continues its climb, the tension mounts. Those who fear the result become to tremble, and those who yearn for it quiver with excitement.
The Boom ricochets across the land. The fearful hold their ears and turn their heads. The hopeful ones snap to action after the explosive concussion has subsided. The sound has meaning. It represents the loud booming voices of the discontented, the abused and those who yearn for freedom. It also suggests the collapse of the old regime, and the crumbling of the House-of-Cards constructed by out-of-touch self-appointed elites. The boom is loudest at the point of ignition, but its reverberating echoes cascade far and wide across the land. Others hear the faint sound and stand in wonder as it becomes louder and more distinct with each wave. The boom is the signal that causes the people to spring into action to rebuild it all. They thoughtfully and determinedly scramble to “form the more perfect union” that once upon a time was their heritage and their comfort.
Nearly concurrent with the boom the Flares arc into the sky. The array of intense colors can be seen throughout the land. The streaming lines of light appear to cover the country in a canopy of color. The frightened elites, bureaucrats and their willing minions can be viewed as they scurry for cover of darkness. Meanwhile the citizens who had been trapped in the darkened dungeons of dependency could observe that the land was a place of glowing opportunity when seen in the full light of the flare. In the beginning the brightness was painful because of their entrapment in the gloom, but as their eyes were opened to the glorious brightness, they began to detect that indeed this was a better world.
The afterglow remains when the flare has subsided and the boom has traveled to its furthermost extremities. The pungent smell of cordite pierces the air as the people begin to assemble and reconstruct the nation. They debate. They cajole, shout and whisper as they attempt to convince one another to support their views of what a “more perfect union” may look like. The citizens review the old regime and its successes and its failures. They seek the good and discard the unworthy. Because the elitist leaders and their flunkies have gone aground, the people can openly dream, discuss and decide which path to pursue toward liberty and prosperity for all. But first…..they build a new firecracker.
Comment: cearlwriting@hotmail.com
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