On the 4th of July, we confuse gunshots and fireworks

As in this conflation of sound causes a parallel of death.
As in the body flattens on concrete. As in the body roasts on tar.
Calves ache from the stillness. The tongue swells, overfilling the mouth.
As in the cupid’s bow harbors a basin of sweat. As in the body recognizes
the weight it carries. There is a defect in the silence. The body considers
a burst of movement, then trusts the sudden pause. As in don’t — as in
it is pivotal to discern the body and all other bodies as targets, always exposed.
Time eats differently here. Wind around the body like a snake
that chooses suffocation over bite. As in the sound of erupting
gunpowder and fireworks divulge at multiple frequencies.
As in each snap alters the body to exhaust, anticipate, then wish for nothing.