Seize the Day

    Be My Kite

    2007

    Be my kite:
    Rise up from the earth
    On a breath and a whisper
    Dazzle in the sunshine
    And tiptoe on the wind
    Be brilliant in your beauty
    And agile in your ability
    Boldly fly your true colours
    For your own delight
    And for mine

    Dart and duck and dive
    As you streak across the blue
    Leaving a ribbon trail
    Swirl and shake and shimmy
    As you sparkle in the light
    Burning like a comet
    Flash and flirt and flutter
    As you perform your moves
    For cheering terrestrials
    And for me

    Be my kite:
    Stretch for your freedom
    Beyond the ties that bind you
    Feel the wind’s desire
    And the tug of remote intention
    (Almost imperceptible)
    Sail the rough sky-seas
    Until you are all spent
    Until you are ready
    Ready to return

    Fly for the joy of flying
    Yet also for the pleasure of another
    For without its flyer
    A kite is like a tumbleweed
    On a dusty track to nowhere
    And strain against your leash
    Yet not so hard that the bond snaps
    For without its strings
    A kite is like a leaf in autumn
    At the wind’s random mercy

    Be my kite:
    Resist the steady pull
    Holding you back from the sun
    Until you feel the warm glow
    Of pulsing exhilaration
    And hard-earned exhaustion
    Then submit to the safety
    Of the solid ground below
    To be gently caressed
    By rough hands

    Reach for the horizon
    Yet do not fear being grounded
    For just as there is passion in wildness
    So too is there satisfaction in peace
    And in non-striving
    Push out the boundaries
    Yet do not fear known places either
    For while there is tension in resistance
    There is also relief in submission
    And in letting-be

    Be my kite:
    Test your limits
    But also trust the signals
    Of the one who keeps you aloft
    For to fly without strings
    Is to soar free and high
    But only for a fleeting moment
    Before you plummet and crash
    Perhaps never to rise
    And fly again

    Keep asking questions
    And listen for the answers
    For your strength is your awareness
    Your sensitivity to subtle signs
    And gentle shifts
    Keep an open mind
    And do not jump to conclusions
    For your weakness is your stubbornness
    Your failure to read the wind’s moods
    And trust the flyer’s skills

    Be my kite:
    And follow your instincts
    For you were born to fly
    To dance across the sky
    Moving to the beat of the wind
    And the song of your strings
    Knowing that you can let go
    Because there is another
    Who is holding tight
    And taking care

    Fly across the seasons of time
    Float on the spring breeze
    And ride out the winter storm
    Surf on the autumn currents
    And climb the summer thermals
    But when the air is still and calm
    Return to me and rest easy
    Gather your strength
    So that you will be ready
    Ready to rise again

    Be my kite:
    Fly high and swoop low
    Kiss the veil of the clouds
    And taste the salty ocean spray
    Wink knowingly at the birds
    And giggle at the startled butterflies
    Be my eyes beyond the horizon
    And my ears upon the breeze
    Then come home and tell me all
    All the secrets of the spheres

    So let the wind tussle your hair
    But not tangle your mind
    For there is no direction without intent
    And be sure to let the sun warm your face
    But not melt your will
    For there is no freedom without choice
    And now be my kite
    Fly for me
    Fly to me
    Fly!

    — Wayne Visser