the big green kite

a big green kite. a little boy chasing a big green kite on the beach as his father flies it like a skilled pilot. it dives, shoots back up. the kid lunges for it but it’s always just out of reach. he laughs when he misses. the Santa Monica mountains loom over me and the boy and two young girls playing tag in the sand. the girl being chased throws herself to the sand and says “TIMEOUT!” the other girl says “that’s cheating!” their mom says, “honey, that’s cheating maybe?” and at that, the girl launches out of the sand and races away. the chaser lunges and misses. she takes off in pursuit. they pass a trash can where a seagull perches on the edge and sticks its head in. it keeps sticking its head in and coming out with nothing. above us, the immortal California Sun shines down. it paints our shadows on the sand. it paints our bodies brown. it lights the clouds over the mountains. they are long dolphin clouds that swim and flip and dance. none of them steal our sun. none of them drink my beer. none of them strike the kite from the sky or rain on the girls playing tag. it is 81 degrees in Venice. i still have four beers and five hours of sun left. there’s warmth on my back, wind in my face… my head is in my notepad. with a blue pen i lunge at the page and laugh.