When is a firework display more than a simply display

 Maureen, Jack, and old Jack were attending the Canada Day celebrations of 2024. It was celebrating the country’s identity. The celebrations were special because the new “Canada Day” logo inspired by the maple leaf. The same evening and as part of the celebrations there was a concert at the DelCrary Park. A tribute concert to the “Tragically Hip” by a local band.

The Canada Day celebration is a highlight of the summer. The city of Peterborough put on a fireworks display at Little Lake, following the Peterborough Musicfest. 

The sky over the southern part of the city was illuminated by a magnificent display of colours and sounds. The event was attended by hundreds of people who gathered in the park and the surrounding streets to witness the spectacle.

To Maureen a middle-aged woman, a paramedic by profession and an artist by dedication, the event was a celebration of colours. She stood awestruck as the first burst of colour painted the evening sky. For her, the fireworks were a source of inspiration and wonder. Each explosion represented the fleeting beauty of creation, a dance of light and colour that ignited her imagination. She marveled at the patterns, the symmetry, and the vivid tones. Maureen was mentally sketching the scenes to later translate, on a canvas.

The rhythm of the fireworks resonated with her artistic heart; each sound sent waves of excitement through her. She felt connected to the crowd, united in a collective gasp of awe with each display. The fireworks were not just a visual feast; they were a celebration of creativity, a testament to human ingenuity and the power of art to bring joy and unity. Although it was not her first firework display in Peterborough, it was the first Canada Day she celebrated since her marriage to Jack.

In contrast old Jack, a ninety-year-old war veteran, stood at the edge of the park, his face pale and his hands trembling, as soon the fireworks began.

Jack had accepted his son and daughter in law’s invitation to the Peterborough Musicfest concert at Del Crary Park because he liked the music of the “Tragically Hip.” Going out with his son gave him an excuse to be away from the retirement home where he lived, something he always looked forward to. However old Jack wasn’t prepared for the effect the firework display was going to have on him. 

The fireworks brought back memories of the battlefield, where the night sky was often lit by violent explosions. Each boom echoed in his mind, transforming the vibrant display into a haunting replay of war. The colours reminded him of flares and tracers, and the smell of smoke mixed with the scent of the park were a vivid reminder of sieges he had endured in his younger years.

For Jack, the fireworks were not a celebration. They were a trigger of past traumas. Traumas he hardly accepted he exhibited. The sounds and the display of fireworks made him felt isolated even though he was with his son and daughter in law and was surrounded by people. The beauty that Maureen saw was lost on him and replaced by a sense of dread and panic. The event that brought joy to many was, for him, a stark reminder of the horrors he had endured before moving to Canada.

The fireworks display, an event designed to unite and celebrate, was perceived in drastically different ways by, Maureen, and old Jack. Through the eyes of old Jack and Maureen we are reminded that every event is a multifaceted gem, seen differently by each observer.