August Sky / Rajat Lal

August Sky by  Rajat Lal 

Afternoon tryst in the park
Ritual piercing of the diamond shape
The careful knotting of the string

Kite held firmly against your chest
As you walk backwards to give it wing
A heave upwards to catch the breeze
The bridle held loose to aid the release
A few swift tugs to send it soaring
And a sharp gust of wind does the rest

Wild air currents make the paper crackle
The kite lurching as it gains height
Flash of red against the grey-strewn blue
Till other colourful specks come into view
Paper eagles all on a skyward flight
Straining to break their strings’ shackle
And then begin the aerial dogfights
Pilotless paper drones lock in silent battle
Their straight paths suddenly gone askew

Strings dance in the sky, and clash
Like power transmission lines thrashing loose
Your fingers throbbing with power and pain
Laced as the string is with powdered glass
Biting to hold as you manoeuvre in vain
The kite left and right through its wild cruise
And then ultimately fate comes to pass
Two strings tangle and one is cut
One kite has won, and one is slain

It floats slowly away from the maze
The string in your fingers suddenly slack
You reel in the bridle then dash across the park
For its not the end of this pleasurable craze
The kite meanders overs homes and train-tracks
And comes to rest on a forbidden terrace
You smile at the old lady but her dog begins to bark
And then the red diamond is within your gaze
Your prize waiting at the end of the race

For its a game with no winners or losers
Fought not for medals but the lively challenge
Of the invisible wind and unseen competitors
The feel of absolute power that cannot corrupt
(These days that does sound somewhat strange)
And the end is as painless as its abrupt
A calm retreat from the august sky
A riveting struggle for flight and freedom
Fought each August, in your mind’s eye