I Am Icarus

Icarus and I share some things in common.

Do you know me?

A casualty of fascinating fire and wanton water.

One up.

One down.

Both dangerous.

Blazing, sinking, bi-polar bondage.

I pushed the envelope.

Had to get closer.

I swung on pendulous, emotional, vicissitudes.

Some would say cyclothymic.

Son of a labyrinth builder.

A maze so cunningly built, I could barely escape it.

My father's didactic words fell upon deaf ears.

I flew aloft without any fears.

A victim of halcyon hubris.

Narcissistic napalm burned my feathers.

Molten mania melted my wax.

Maze.

Haze.

Fly.

Try.

Sun.

Done.

Sea.

Me.

It wasn't enough.

My winged illusions came crashing down.

A mythical, melancholy, swan song.

I am Icarus.

I am sorry.

I am he.

I am me.

We shall see ...

Author's Note

"He who is conversant with the supernal powers will not worship these inferior deities of the wind, waves, tide, and sunshine. But we would not disparage the importance of such calculations as we have described. They are truths in physics because they are true in ethics." - Thoreau

Reviews

[light and ashes]

Oh, wow, this is so great!!!!!!!! I love Greek Mythology, and I find myself relating to so much of this. I know the same highs and lows, as well as the same bitter crashing into the Sea, because I was not wise enough then.
I think/hope that I am wise enough now.

Oh, how bitter that crash is!!!!!!! You think that you are surely going to die, this time.
How bitter the waves taste in your mouth!!!!!!!
You grow to hate the taste of salt water.

I also would like to add, how perfect the song is fitted for this poem. I love it, and I think that I have found a new song.
I do not care for Black Sabbath, as I am a Christian, but I can not deny that this is a great song.
I will probably stick to the cover, though, thank you.

I am giving this the perfect score of 100.
Thank you for sharing this with me.

[Pete]

thank's for the great share. i too am a christian and love music. i'm told that the members of black sabbath are actually believers - i think the whole black sabbath, evil thing was just a gimmick to sell records. toni iommi, the lead guitarist is often seen wearing a crucifix around his neck. he even did some solo work with the birmingham cathedral choir - a song called 'how good it is'. i think you would like it. check it out on youtube if you get a chance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r-9-5T93N8.

the song 'children of the sea' was actually written and sung by ronnie james dio, the singer who replaced ozzy osborne in the band. i too like the song and thought it went well with icarus and the write. blessings ... :)

[light and ashes]

Could be, but the name is so anti-God, that I doubt it..
but it could be. some do things like that,
and for some it is a sort of duality thing,
but I wouldn't, but that's me..

that's cool, and it sounds cool.
The song was perfect for this.

I don't like Ozzy Osborne, and I think he is kind of an idiot, and he is a Godless sellout,

but yes, I really loved your poem. I thought it was great.
I related to a lot of it.

[Yellow Butterfly]

You had me at ..."I am Icarus'....and the rest.... :)

Beautifully penned and I love your format......very captivating write indeed...Thank You Icarus....I mean Pete.. :)


YB

[Pete]

thanks yb. wishing you smoooooth flights ... :)

[Kathy Van Kurin]

'I Am Icarus'
Pete,
The deep complexities of the human psyche speaks within this one, or should I say the soul. We are intrinsically designed to respond to the things of life- its good, its bad and etc... Many slip into various forms of brokenness in the difficulties of life and some do not. Some stay within the realm of what some would call normalcy. In all of this we are human. It is a beautiful thing and a terrible thing too...at times.
Kathy

[Pete]

sometimes we push the limits in our weakness or strength depending upon how you look it and become a victim of pushing the limits. indeed human nature is subject to dangerous excess. thanks so much for sharing thoughts Kathy and remember to keep an eye to the sky and not overshoot... :)

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Thanks Pete for your obvervations. It's nice to hear them and think on them as well.
Bless you much. I hope your have a wonderful thanksgiving day.

[Derekv]

Amazing poem, beautiful imagery. Keep up the excellent work!

-Derekv

[Pete]

thank you kindly. i appreciate the encouragement ... :)

[Alexa Apothic Red]

Ooh, I love how this speaks about Icarus much like mine with Narcissus and Echo.. It is interesting that you invited me to read this, in particular, because when I was a young girl, my brother had captured an injured wild dove in our yard (broken wing). He nursed it back to relative health, but the bird never flew that great anymore. We kept it as a pet from that point on, and he named it Icarus. (We had a dog named Chaucer, I had cats named Lennon, Depeche and Dolce.. no shortage of lofty, intellectual/philosophical or music-inspired names!)..

I have to say that I am going to have to re-read this, because there are so many great elements here that I can't begin to speak on them... the creativity, vocabulary/word choices, the imagery, metaphors, subtexts, allusions, alliteration, diction, rhythm, phrasing, flow... I love so many aspects about it!

This part became my instant favorite:

"Maze.
Haze.
Fly.
Try.
Sun.
Done.
Sea.
Me."

Wow... stabbing, blunt, 1-word punches to describe the entire drama of this myth aligned with real life for you... just, wow...

For now, suffice it to say that I am thoroughly impressed... worth re-reading.

[Pete]

thank you Alexa. appreciate your remarks and time to review. one of the first pieces i wrote in the cafe a while ago.

[Diamond]

I liked the usage of "fascinating fire and wanton water" which amplifies the quality of each force. Its such a compact and powerful description of Icarus (I read about Icarus before reading this poem so I can connect :) ). And subtle hint of the emotion adds beauty to the poem. Thank you for sharing.

[Pete]

thanks for reading and reviewing. and doing your homework on this. i really appreciate your thoughts.

[Cyprian Van Dyke]

Great feeling and choice of words. It kept my interest from beginning to end. Nice write! :)

[Pete]

thank you CVD for reviewing. appreciated.

[Cyprian Van Dyke]

You're very much welcome. :)

[Moonie]

First off....love the vocabulary! It's so beautifully worded...the rhythm, the imagery...the alliteration...perfecto! :))

[Pete]

Thank you Moon - you are too kind. I really stretched myself on this one - it was something a little out of my usual realm but it was fun and hard work. Had to dig very deep! Best regards.

[GypsyMoonCat]

I thought this was really interesting, for the content itself, as well as the layout. A very well crafted poem that grabs the attention and keeps it.

One thing I will say though, is to go easy on the use of words requiring a reader to run to the dictionary lol! Whereby it adds to the effect somewhat, it can detract a bit, if you can understand the irony of what I've just said. We're not all English majors or at the least, knowledgeable in the meaning of words.

Great job! Kudos!

[Pete]

Thanks so much for reviewing. I hear you about the vocab. I was experimenting and perhaps went a little too far. Appreciated.

[GypsyMoonCat]

All good, it is a great poem!

[Gypsy Warrior Queen]

I am not a technician so I will only give you my soul amongst the fire of your brilliance and the coolness of the waters flow...

[Pete]

A true poet's review. Fighting fire with fire. Thanks so much.

[Gypsy Warrior Queen]

This one still calling to me, so I am back for another read.

[Pete]

i am honored, dear lady.

"The language of friendship is not words but meanings." - Thoreau