Doug McHargue's "Unseen Kites" after Owen-Murakami and Van Ameyden

Doug McHargue photographed at Caldwell Arts Council on June 9, 2018 for the first Art of Poetry Catawba Valley tour of 2018. 

UNSEEN KITES

by Doug McHargue

After Ginger Owen-Murakami and Vicki Van Ameyden

My feet glued to ground,

it's hard to think

I've ever floated

in this life,

not so hard to see

the girl, innocent

smile, angel pure dress

flying.

Or the group of kids

laughter levitating

story book minds

above too-small rooms,

yelling people, too big.

But it's really hard

to see the old man

with the set mouth

who's sat too long

for the photo,

just wants to change

to overalls,

get this over with, dammit -

how he slogs through

flooded fields and swamps,

gossamer, light like ghost birds

at his back,

the mouth one day released.