Flying My First Kite

We run together in the strong wind
The two of us launching my first kite
He’d made for me
Cutting and gluing the wood frame
Covering it with old newspaper
Tying together a tail of torn fabric strips
A dishtowel my mother might never miss

Too young to get it airborne myself
He held the string and ran ahead
Me stumbling along behind him
The two of us laughing
The miracle of liftoff
We stopped and watched it climb
A marvel to me that it could rise that way

When he handed over the roll of string
He warned me to avoid the monkeypod trees
And especially the power lines
Your mom would never forgive me, he said
If I got you electrocuted