My Kite
Like a bird flying, My kite goes high. It sits with the birds At the edge of the sky.
Then the birds come back To their waiting tree. And my kite comes back To me.
Mary Carolyn Davies
SourceLicence:Public domain (US, unrenewed)
Like a bird flying, My kite goes high. It sits with the birds At the edge of the sky.
Then the birds come back To their waiting tree. And my kite comes back To me.
A child flies a kite and imagines it as a bird. That is the whole scene, and it works because the poem keeps everything so simple. In the first stanza the kite climbs high and settles among the birds "at the edge of the sky," as if it belongs up there with them. You can almost feel the speaker craning their neck, thrilled to see something they hold by a string sharing the air with real wings.
The second stanza turns toward return. The birds go back to "their waiting tree," and the kite comes back "to me." That last line is short and quiet, and it carries the poem's warmth. The kite isn't just something to watch; it's something that belongs to the speaker, tied to them. The mood is gentle and content, a mix of wonder at the height and comfort in coming home. The speaker's delight lies in the kite's freedom, and also in the connection that pulls it back.