From dawn until dusk within the walls of Old Lahore

in the very heart of Pakistan

high above the domes of the Badshahi Mosque

the sky explodes with flying paper birds,

blues and greens and golds

trailing rainbow-colored tails and yellow ribbons.

Men fly kites from rooftop terraces

to the whistling, drums, and songs that echo

from the fruit and flower-filled marketplace below

while women draped in saris the color of mustard fields in bloom

serve fragrant yellow rice with henna-painted hands

as beaded bangles click-click along their arms.

Small children dressed in yellow chant prayers

as they read and write their first words

to honor the Goddess Saraswati’s birthday,

then run into the narrow streets

kites dancing in the sky

to celebrate the coming of spring.

First published in Cricket.