The String is not the only Thing that Holds the Kite in the Air

If kites are nothing  
but a cross on a sail
they can only rise.

Yet, the child running 
with all his joy
in the brown field

on a cloudless day will 
hold the string taut, 
thinking it’s up to him

to keep the kite in the air  
and never let its line 
cross the path of birds.

Today, he will learn that 
earth and sky do cross
and the wind is a shear.

The boy will cry for 
the stranded kite
that heaven will adore.