Thursday, October 02, 2008

Kite

Little thing of heart so brave and full, she leaves me standing.

Literally, as I let the kite go and it drops and trails and then, as if taken by the sheer force of her will as she pelts at full tilt into the wind, it begins to fly.

It's up Anna-mouse! I scream. Yes! That's it! It's flying!

She glances behind to see the red and yellow ninety-nine pence splendour raised aloft and runs even faster on, on along the cliff top, to keep the thing up there. People stop to watch this tiny wonder hurtling past. She is oblivious to all but the wind. People are clapping now, laughing, and I run behind, catching her plaudits and applause.

Brilliant! calls a man as he gets into his car. Brilliant! he says, as we fly past.

She raises smile after smile, and I am crying out and laughing and revelling in try after try as she gets better and better at getting the kite to fly. Eventually she discovers that if she just believes and runs fast enough, she can get the thing up and flying behind her by herself.

Her perseverance is a wonder to me. All day this moment has been her goal. Never mind the paddling, the picnic, the icecream; never mind those. The thing she wants above all else(following a failed attempt a few months ago), is to get her kite to fly.

It is as perfect a moment of childhood as one could hope to make. For both of us. Its memory renders me almost speechless with love.

All week the image of my four-year-old running, running with her kite on that breathtakingly lit Sunday afternoon pierces my sad soul and heals, each time I think of it, a small, kite-sized piece of sadness there.

8 comments:

richactor said...

That is such a wonderful post. It made me cry... and I am a butch man! Thank you for sharing. x

Miranda said...

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

Bush Mummy said...

Oh Livvy, you've made me cry. I can't seem to stop this week. So much bad news.. but that has really cheered me up - the image of your lovely little girl flying her kite.

BM x

Heidi said...

Beautiful.

Catherine said...

What a stunning scene and beautifully told as ever. In the end, her confidence was essential to keeping the kite afloat. A metaphor for life there. Sorry you are still sad Livvy.

Brit-Chick Writing Brit-Flick said...

Run beside her Livvy, who knows the wonderful paths you'll uncover together x

A Mum said...

beautiful livvy, just beautiful. i wanted to weep. you've made a lovely memory: for you to keep, for little anna-mouse to have, forever. i hope the day, the kite, the wind, your brave little girl hurtling along raising smiles, I hope they all conspire to hold your sad soul aloft. x

Stay at home dad said...

This is fantastic Livvy - I've just read it again and it's just as good ... thought I'd left a comment last time. Hope you're ok...

Sahd.