Two hours to midnight.

We were on the edge of the time. The last moment of 2008. Less than two hours we would face a new beginning of 2009. New years eve, was what they called.

Many people gathered for some happenings. Some had fun, really fun. Others spent sometime to have reflections of all that occured during last year. And so resolution was made. The plan for a brighter and better year to come.

You could hear the sound of joy not long before 12 pm. It was kind of tradition run in our culture – yet in many people – to celebrate the change. For some, they blew candles, then made wishes. Others honk their trumpets. The streets were crowded by traffic of any kinds of vehicles. The celebration took every place in every corner of the city all night long.

Fireworks flew high, lightning beautifully in dark skies.

…

Here in Jakarta, and many other cities around the globe, people made New Years Eve as one of the most important moment of the year. Fireworks was important too. In our neighborhood, they only light them up for such occasions. We saw them through our window in our bedroom. The celebration was coming.

Television made it even real. They captured all live events such concerts, parades and shows. All dressed up with gloom, happy faces all around. They forgot pain and left behind sadness for one night. And then the fireworks was live. We saw it, I saw it.

My daughter, Aleisha, she was suddenly woke up by the bang bang of fireworks. She was crying, felt disturbing. But it was for short, as she didn’t recall it yet. The light and the colors filled the horizon, at which she stared. Over and over the sound and the lightning strike like rainbow in the night. She was confused, stood still. We were explaining to her not to be afraid. She was there for a while, look back to us, and smile. Her first smile in the year 2009.

Ticking clocks and movement of time, nearly and directly brought us to zero. Fireworks started afterwards.

…

In another part of the world, in the city of Gaza, Palestine, the people had no chance – by meaning – to celebrate new years eve. While we had fun, they had misery. We clapped hands and embraced to light of fireworks. They had too, fireworks, that destroyed their homes, ruined roads, crashed down schools and killed their family. Even killed them too.

They heard the sound, and saw the light of fireworks. Our fireworks looked so preety, theirs created destruction. Their fireworks even started earlier than ours. It had been above their sky days before, and brought nothing but fear. They shed tears and blood. We asked for fireworks, they cried for them.

Hours before while we were laughing, they were crying. By midnight the light of our fireworks was bright and the sound was loud, their fireworks even more brighter so blinded and the sound even more louder so defted. We wished the fireworks last for long, they wish it last only in dreams. As the celebration ended, we fell asleep of our heavy eyes, they hadn’t sleep for days and wonder to put their head just for rest and closed their eyes just for minutes. The sleep in counting seconds would become forever. Never been woke up again. Their life was in the edge.

Was new years eve make any different to them? Was that have any meaning the sound and light of fireworks in the night? They had seen fireworks before, know what they would have become to their world. They had been in the situation for years long. It wasn’t sure that any brighter or better future would come to them. All they had was pray and hope. Struggle and fight for freedom.

So, we share a common thing with them, fireworks. But yet different ones. As we wish to see them again in years to come, they were hoping to buried their sad memories then walked on by. Saw their life up in the sky, so beautiful like a light and sound of fireworks.

Ticking clocks and movement of time, nearly and directly brought them to zero. Fireworks had not been stopped yet.

…

We kissed our love ones saying happy new year, they kissed their love ones saying goodbye.