A little boy sobs,

cradling his crushed dragon kite—

April loneliness.

Worn

First day of August—

even the wind is worn out

from chasing red kites.

Sneeze

a small girl sneezes

and the dragon kite soars up

to a greater height

First day of the month—

a red kite escapes and floats

above the housetops.

A red silken kite

chases a frightened sparrow

through the clear blue sky.

Last high wind of March

chases a red dragon kite

past the county line.

Snagged in the treetop,

my daughter’s brand-new red kite

poses as a leaf.

in the beggar’s bowl

shadows from a dragon kite

for his midday meal

desperate children

chasing a runaway kite—

first prank of spring wind

first high wind of spring—

chasing a runaway kite

across the meadow