go fly a kite

“A kite is a victim you are sure of.
You love it because it pulls
gentle enough to call you master,
strong enough to call you fool;
because it lives
like a desperate trained falcon
in the high sweet air,
and you can always haul it down
to tame it in your drawer.”


—from ‘A Kite is a Victim’ (The Spice-Box of Earth), by Leonard Cohen”

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5 thoughts on “go fly a kite

  1. Wonderful poem to read first thing in the morning. I love that you took the photo in B&W.
    “Go fly a kite” has a whole other resonance for me though. It’s the ultimate expression of anger and contempt that R’s sister, who has Down’s, flings out when she’s in a certain mood.

    1. Has she ever actually flown a kite? Just wondering if she did, would she still use this expression in a negative way… or would she come up with something worse? Where I come from the equivalent was “Take a long walk on a short pier.” Or, the ever popular “Go jump in the lake.” We’re water people. (:

      1. “Go jump in the lake” is a favourite of Jo’s too. I suspect that for her brevity–a snappy, contemptuous line–is more important than reference to an actual experience.
        But I stand forewarned, in the event you tell me to go take a long walk on a short pier.

  2. Lovely contrast of the dense trees and the kite flying overhead.

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