The Kite Runner and the Berry Kites
A poem about the four forces of flight (Lift, Weight, Drag, and Thrust)
In a thousand splendid sunsets, I search for a rising moon
In a thousand sleepless nights, I look up the sky to see the flickering stars blinking, glowing, growing on me
I wondered for a thousand nights whether the moon winks at me or is just naughty, menacing blue
In a thousand splendid sunrises, I searched for meaning and purpose
in the slums, I fly, the flooded streets, I search for a string to lead me to the fallen kite
you see, once I was that seedy kite, the Strawberry Kite, that lit the Ceylon sky with a scarlet twinkle
I was a sparkly ruby in the oceans of a desert sky
a husky voiced kite runner stole me from the gutters, restored my guts, then ran with me and ate me up alive!
once I was a bustling, hustling luscious and juicy strawberry, without a tail wagging behind me, now I’m dead beat, a road kill!
the story goes: One day, the Kite runner decided to test my flight; up above the periwinkle sky, he tugged on my cord, to float around the uncool sky, something didn’t feel right from the outset, my freedom was restricted as I was pulled back with a few strings to maneuver my wings
I spun and rolled, out of control; unstable my flight, I nose dived
I plunged into the gutters and was rescued by another; a young kite runner with onyx eyes and rosy cheeks but those eyes were so dark as that of a tarred charcoal night
the young kite runner patched up my seams and stitched me up; knotting the thin reams with his calloused hands
he promised to help me fly high; he promised, O he failed me, he lied, he tricked me!
he tied a tail, not too short to roll me around unstable, not too long to let me fly high like a free, beautiful butterfly
he wanted me to be in his grasp, he stringed me along the wooden bridle and broke my spine
he loosened up the kite spool, so the kite line got some traction, to help me fly a little higher, as he tugged and pulled on my strings
he let loose and let me fly high, a 100 cm to be exact; not 500 cm, that will be too high to fly he thought, he was scared to lose his control over me
then he heard his friends call out to to him: “It’s Basant. Get ready for a kite fight”!
He grinned and gambled me with a cruel bet: “A dozen kites in exchange for her nosedive; if you win, they are yours to pick and choose”!
One friend with curly brown hair and kind eyes asked: “What about her!”
The mean Kite runner said: “O well, you can keep her too if I lose but if I win, I need that shiny, metallic bike of yours!”
He said in reply: “You wish, it’s not your day, the winds will fly my way!”
the onyx-eyed kite runner bet my kitty flight, a seasoned goodbye; as if he had nothing to lose; the frame was mine, I was the prize, even if I lose; what a clever tool!
one friend was so naughty, he let his blueberry kite, fly besides me, than he brought it a little closer while keeping a stern grip on his wooden bridle
he brought the blueberry so close to me; I could feel the tangy berry’s breath on my paper sheets— I was lost in the berry’s touch, I thought to myself, we’ll make a cute couple — Strawberry and Blueberry; we’ll be merry, maybe we’ll even marry!
lost in the fancy fantasy thoughts of two berries flying high and free; tired of taking the solo flight, maybe it was time to shake up a smoothie!
berry’s glass strings caught me by surprise; it cut through my line; my cord broke; our connection was lost; high up in the air, we split up
Oh! his vicious dihedral angel of attack, it caught me by the strings!
the naughty kite runner controlled berry’s strings; he manipulated my lovely berry and squeezed all the juice out of me
my tow point split from my kite line; I tumbled
my sails were too heavy for the lift; the weight of gravity pulled me down
I fluttered for a little while, praying to the clouds to zephyr me along
my cross spar was too cross at me for trusting the blue berry
I was too crossed at my fluorescent bloody tail, for trusting the kite runner
my whole frame was shaking with anger, I had no place to go but down
I hit rock bottom, in the gutters of the slum, I lay, broken
once again, I found a tethered frame laying in the garbage from where I was rescued from
then a child of seven, found me; tattered in rags, shredded to pieces, in a pile of garbage, just above the gutters
he dusted me off and fixed me; I was brand new again; I shone bright in all the seven colors of an iridescent rainbow
he patched me up with so much love, I started loving him just as much despite all the past betrayal
I’m a free floating, fluttering butterfly now, I open my wings wide and soar the crystal cerulean skies
the four forces of flight ( Lift, Weight, Drag, and Thrust) came into action that pleasant, warm, kind day; to set me on my way to a free-spirited flight!
I was on a brand new journey of becoming Me; freedom finally, kissed my wings!
my sweet child kite runner, was my best friend by this time
he lifted me from the garbage of the slums with his tender care; I was too heavy, my weight pulled me down; he patched me up and give me a new pair of wings; with his love, I fly swiftly with a new aerodynamic design; a new tail, eight times my kite’s frame was added to me as well!
I was gently thrust forward in the direction of the motion — the gentle breeze, caressed my rainbow butterfly frame and the sun warmed me ever so slightly
I was ready to start afresh, a new beginning in the crimson horizon awaited me
a blooming friendship, blossomed; a strong bond of kindness, compassion and empathy between me and the child kite runner developed; when the breeze dragged me backwards, he tugged me forwards, never letting me go, forever my superhero!
he kept me steady; keeping a balance between the four forces of: Care, love, friendship and trust!
Lift must be equal to weight and thrust must be equal to drag — the law of the flight of aerodynamic stability and balance
His care for me was equal to the love he gave me and his friendship with me was equal to the trust we built together; I equally reciprocated back the four dynamic forces!
We balanced each other out; me and the child kite runner, we keep each other steady, happy and fulfilled!
He never let me nose dive; I never let him fall; we are the best of buddies!
I found my true friend at last , in a seven year old, kind child; my kite runner — my saviour, my superhero!
© Dazzling Shene 2021
Thank you for reading my poetry🤗 💖
Thank you,
, for kindly publishing my poetry in the crafty WOTW 💖This poem is dedicated to the most beautiful, supportive and kindest person I’ve ever known — my true friend, a beautiful soul:
This poem is also a tribute to Khaled Hosseini’s ‘The Kite Runner’!
P.S: Although I’ve read Khaled Hosseini’s other novels, I still have not read The Kite Runner or watched the movie. I don’t know why I’ve been procrastinating it since I was a kid. I guess it was because every one says to read it, builds a pressure on you to read and then I never got around to reading it. I never do what others say. I’ve a rebellious catty soul. 😾
I heard it’s amazing. I have at least 4 copies of it laying, collecting dust somewhere at home. My sister loved buying multiple copies of the books she loved. I don’t know why but she would go and purchase every new edition.
While doing research on kites, for this poem, I might have an idea how the book would have gone. I have not even read a single review up till now because I wanted to savour the words once I read them just like I did when I read A Thousand Splendid Suns, a few years ago; what a masterpiece. I learnt more about Afghanistan’s history through that book than I did through the media.
So no spoiler alerts, please!
