Don’t go
Don’t go
his father said.
Don’t fly
Don’t fly
Keep your feet on the ground
and your heart at home
But Icarus went
Icarus flew
up towards the sun
and the shadow
that he saw there
the shadow he’d dreamt of
the shadow he’d missed
ever since he was young
And as he rose
above the clouds
as his eyes wept
from the brightness of the sun
and his arms faltered
from the weight of his wings
and questions
and doubts
clouded his mind
a voice said
down to him
“Our father had wings, but was afraid to fly”
“Our father had eyes but was afraid of what he might see”
“Our father had a wife, and was afraid she’d be free.”
“Our father had children, but was afraid we’d leave.”
And Icarus looked up at the shadow above him
and saw
the sister
of whom he’d always dreamt
And Icarus looked down
at their house below them
and at the sky around them
and the world
that stretched out
bigger and bigger
as he rose
higher and higher
He held out his hand
to his sister above him
and she took it
and held it
and never let go
and together they flew
they flew
They flew
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Notes:
1. Written on August 10th, 2019
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