The Flaming Piñata

I liked playing with matches– the spark, the dancing blue of the flame.

The sweet biting fragrance of sulfur seemed to whisper my name.

One afternoon, it stood, beckoning me from my childlike dream:

A piñata: bright, welcoming colors of red, yellow, blue, and green!

With skillful hands, I lit up the beast.

Flames burst like little Mexican candies exploding from its belly.

My seven year old attempts to put out the fire, all in vain.

Time to call upon the only creature worthy of the challenge: Mom.

She battled the fiery beast with buckets upon buckets of water.

Cremated remains of yellow, red, blue, and green tissue were hauled outside for a decent burial.

I knew I could always count on my mom to be by my side in any battle.

And each time I see a piñata at a party, I have an entirely different perspective of the red, yellow, blue, and green tissue paper.