Kites Of Jaffa Poem by doug bentley

winter attacked in legion today.


parachuting flakes launched
kamikaze fashion by squadrons
of anchored clouds fired
5 million tons of pellets over
the city in a 15 minute volley.

after the battle,
high in air,
raised like flags
of truce,2 kites
of jaffa flew.

all the people unlocked
their doors and came out
of houses to watch
childrens' gliders climb
and challenge air,

flybobbins fastened tight
to a trout's eye.


i phoned the icecreamboy
and told him to unlock
his bike 4 months early,
when a dying gasp
of cold vicious air

snapped the strings and, like
epileptic butterflies the kites,
life-lines cut, nosedived
to pavement.

without a nod, or even blinked
eye, all people vanished back
into locked homes, and returned
to television sets and sunday
dinners served on disbelieving platters.