The Tale of a kite
It was the perfect day to fly a kite.
The sun was warm. The breeze was right.
The air was fresh with the sweet perfume
Of flowering trees in springtime bloom.
After the long, boring winter, kites everywhere
Couldn’t wait for the chance to go dance in the air.
To summersault freely. To zigzag the sun.
Every kite was excited. Well, all kites but one.
In the back of a closet, looking haggard and thin
Fretted one lonely kite that preferred to stay in.
He was diamond in shape. Half red and half white.
With a bowtie rag tail, meant to steady his flight.
His lines were so classic you may think with a sigh
That you’ve seen him before in some childhood sky.
But he didn’t like flying. Well, that isn’t quite right -
It wasn’t the flying so much as the height.
You see, the higher the flight, the further the fall.
It was that which scared the kite most of all.
From the park nearby echoed laughter and joy.
The kite knew it wouldn’t be long ‘till his boy
Would burst into the closet to cart him away
For another embarrassing public display.
They would head for the park with the other fanatics
In search of the perfect kite aerobatics.
The boy would start running. The string would unwind
And the kite, he would tumble on the hard ground behind.
At that very moment, as his thought was complete,
The closet door opened. The kite shrunk in defeat.
“Come on,” said the boy, “It’s the perfect kite day.”
And the boy and the kite headed outside to play.
As they came to the park there were kids everywhere
Flying kites that sailed gracefully high in the air.
The boy pointed up. “Look, flying is easy!”
With dread the kite looked. It made him feel queasy.
Although the spring breezes were heartily blowing
The boy started running to get the kite going.
He ran all through the park while other kids gaped
At his kite that dragged…and tumbled…and scraped.
He heard a boy laugh and another one joke,
“That kite must either be stupid or broke.”
The boy hung his head and went back to his kite.
Kneeling, he thoughtfully asked, “You alright?”
The kite seemed to be no worse for the wear
Even though he had not so much as caught air.
“Why don’t you fly?” The boy’s tone was staid.
“Don’t you know how?” he asked. “Are you afraid?”
With all of his pride, the kite tried to contest it,
But the look in his eyes told the boy he had guessed it.
They sat in silence a moment, the boy and the kite.
Then with a kind smile, the boy said, “It’s alright.”
“Everyone gets frightened. Dad says that’s okay.
And by facing fears boldly we can scare some away.
That’s how it was with me and my bike.
Maybe biking and flying are a little alike.”
The glimmer of hope that shone in the boy’s eye
Made the kite decide to give flying a try.
The boy started running to give the kite lift.
The wind on the kite was at once brisk and swift.
Instead of fighting the wind he gave himself to it.
As it carried him upward – he knew he could do it.
At first he was careful not to look down.
Then he got up his nerve. He could see the whole town!
With exhilaration he felt his heart soar.
So he yelled to the boy, “Give more string, please. More!”
Mustering courage, his jaw tight and square,
He made a great loop-da-loop in the air.
Every child was squinting to watch that kite sail –
Now a glistening speck with a bowtie rag tail.
With his head in the clouds, the kite felt quite grand
Until remembering he still didn’t know how to land.
But instead of locking in panic, he let his fear go.
The kite took a deep breathe, and said, “On with the show!”
Then giving himself once again to the breeze
He lost elevation, just sure as you please.
Surfing the breezes eventually brought him
Back to the park where an elated boy caught him.
The kite felt peaceful and blissful and new,
And he wanted his boy to feel all of it too.
So without hesitation, he said, “Hold on tight!”
And they took off together, the boy and the kite.
They floated, they glided, they hung in the sky.
They waved at startled birds flying by.
Higher than treetops and rooftops they flew,
And the higher they went, the greater the view.
They saw so many parks in the town down below,
And so many kites with children in tow.
And every so often they were touched by the sight
Of a hopeful child dragging a scared, earthbound kite.
When the boy and kite landed they were met with wild cheers.
Their story became legend, it was told so many years.
The legend ends with the lessons the kite learned that day –That facing fears boldly can scare some away.
To succeed at new things, you must be willing to grow
That means not holding back. It means letting go.
