NPM Celebrations - National Kite Month

April is National Kite Month. Kites were invented in China and first flown more than 2000 (some reports say 3000) years ago. The first kites were actually used for military purposes. The were used in World War I and II for observation, signaling, and target practice. Kite flying has also been used to study wind and weather. In fact, kites were used at one time to carry meteorological instruments and cameras. Today, kites are largely used for recreational purposes.

Now that you are in a mood to fly a kite (or sing about one), let's read a few of my favorite kite poems.

To A Red Kite
from Something New Begins: New and Selected Poems 
by Lilian Moore

Fling
yourself
upon the sky.

Take the string
you need.
Ride high

high
above the park.
Tug and buck
and lark
with the wind.

Touch a cloud,
red kite.
Follow the wild geese
in their flight.

Poem © Lilian Moore, 1982. All rights reserved.

kite

From all the small poems and fourteen more
by Valerie Worth

The kite, kept

Indoors, wears

Dead paper

On tight-

Boned wood,

Pulles at the tied

Cord only

By its weight—

But held

To the wind,

It is another thing,

Turned strong,

Struck alive,

Wild to be torn

Away form the hand

Into high air:

Where it rides
Alone,
Glad,
A small, clear
Wing, having
Nothing at all
To do
With string.

Poem © Valerie Worth, 1994. All rights reserved.

(I've looked all over for the original source for this, but can't find it, 

though the image is all over Pinterest and attributed to Mr. Wonderful.)

This poem is from the book More Opposites, written and illustrated by Richard Wilbur.

The opposite of kite, I'd say,
Is yo-yo. On a breezy day
You take your kite and let it rise
Upon its string into the skies,
And then you pull it down with ease
(Unless it crashes in the trees).
A yo-yo, though, drops down, and then
You quickly bring it up again
By pulling deftly on the string
(If you can work the blasted thing).

Poem © Richard Wilbur, 1991. All rights reserved.

This acrostic poem is from the book Spring: An Acrostic Alphabet, written by Stephen Schnur and illustrated by Leslie Evans.

Knees pumping, we run
Into the wind, strings
Taut,
Eyes fixed on the
Sky.

Poem © Stephen Schnur, 1999. All rights reserved.


I found a number of other good poems for kites. I've included them below. You'll find an image of the poem, as well as the cover of the book it came from. (Click on the image to enlarge and read.)

That's it for today. I hope you'll join me tomorrow for our next celebration.