let’s say

you’re walking

in the park leisurely

to look around calmly

to see the birds clearly

to hear the kids at play

to stay in touch

to sit on a bench.

perhaps you’re

thinking about lunch.

maybe you remember

something while

piecing together

the fragments of a dream

seemed broken and senseless

the long night before but

now there are kites

flying nearby

colorful

zig-zagging

on currents of air and conned by the grace and guidance of man.

they soar and dive as if possessing an awareness of self––

make tactile sounds of their papers

stressed and strung to the armatures

call them bones

call them lungs––

they have tails.

the birds seem content to have their company

without direct contact and yet the birds fly close

and often into the suck of the intake engines of jetliners

causing grief among the families but otherwise

it’s a pleasant morning with layers of light and calmness

amid structures built for aesthetics and relaxation with river and bridge views

not quite three blocks from the cool-

blue womb of home which within the hour could hold the answers.