FREE VERSE

Tangled in Life’s Branches

Poetry from a kite’s point of view

Snagged. Photo by Mark Tulin

caught
snagged
no matter how strong
the wind
or how aggressively I pull
I can not free myself
from nature’s grip
unable to break the chains
from this laurel tree
I remain tangled
in life’s branches

do I accept my fate
do I blame the child
who flew me —
or the unforeseen weather
and the aerodynamics
that hampered my ascent

we get in our way
even when we seek
play or adventure —
sometimes our foolishness
and our naiveté
gets the best of us

only in a perfect world
could I
be free to soar
do figure eights
and somersaults
unimpeded
unleashed
and unencumbered
without a crash
landing