Fly away home

I've never flown a kite before, but I liked watching people fly them. When I lived right by Bedok Reservoir, I often took walks there and sometimes stopped to admire several avid kite fliers, their arms deftly maneuvering the kites like soaring puppets. They reminded me of the one red balloon that, as a child, I lost hold of one Saturday afternoon. I'd stared hard at it then - just as I stared at the kites - watching it drift farther into the sky, thinking that it was heading straight for the land of lost balloons, where they bobbed eternally and held balloon parties for newcomers.

It's been ten years since I went to the reservoir, and I wonder if they still fly kites there. And listening to Rosie Thomas's "Kite Song" brought back all those images. The gentle bobbing of balloons; the sharp, graceful swerves of kites as they traverse the sky. Of course I learned eventually that balloons fall back to earth and sag into forlorn swatches of rubber, but kites...a kite may fall, lie low for some time, and then the wind will find it again and pull it skyward for a new journey.

"Kite Song" by Rosie Thomas

Oh, tie me to the end of a kite
So I can go on, I can go on with my life
Every marigold I pass below will be my guiding light
I just want to go away from here

Oh, tie me ever tightly by your side
So I may go with you wherever you reside
And anytime the road looks dimmer
I will be your guiding light
I just want to go away with you
I just want to go away with you