Three kites up

Three down

The first twirled

two spools out

and dove

into the pondond.

 

The second lost its tail

tangled in a tree

loosed its self

spun up

fluttered

spun down

crashed

 

The third tails flying

got threes spools up

broke its tether

and took off

 

She ran across the field

with kite two flapping

above her feusia hair

spring skirt dancing

with the grass

but its wings were broken,

Had I mentioned

     How strong the wind was

 

So we packed up

the broken kite

in the trunk

and drove off

drove away

drove fast

drove faster

and faster

 

There was nothing to say

the wind was too strong

the wind, the wind

the wind took them

 broke them

 

And we like the fallen kites

driven to earth

fell faster

and faster

 

 

The wind

the wind had taken us

and broken us

We understood

there was nothing to say

 

We drove faster

windows open

hair fluttering

careening over the hills

and curves

down, down

down from the mountains

 

The tether broken

silently

in the roar of the wind

we flew away

helpless

      hapless

victims of spring

 

Then suddenly

up came the ground

crash, stop, flutter

string broken

She walked away

 flower dress dancing

and she didn’t look back

 

And I, I drove away

faster, faster

                                    up up up

into the hills

       the wind had died away

twilight had settled through the sky

faster, faster

up into the darkness

 

Spiraling, dipping, crashing,

into the pond

cool and silent and still

folding over me

down, down to the muddy bottom

nestled in with last autumns leaves

 

And the broken one we saved

flutters and rustles

 in the trunk

abandoned