someplace else, icarus has taken one look at the sun and recoils like a banished angel. lo, the cheerless shadows befogging. lo, the waxen wings he clipped — swallowed by solid ground. lo, the skies melt above the sea, in horror, as he falls in place over his bones and sinks into his sunless chest.

of course I’m angry
of course I’m sad
of course I’m broken
of course I’m mad
of course I’m happy
I’m filled with light
I’m not one to look for a fight
I need not look far, you see,
the fight is between me and me
It’s a tiny typhoon,
with the weight of the moon,
It drags me down to the sea - with no light
I try and try with all my might
for years I struggle
for years I fail
to protect myself
I build my own jail
I am my own warden
I am my own bars
but you see the freedom
of my painted scenery
the walls of my cell - mirrors to reality
if the mirror is broken
well, seven years bad luck
but at this point I don’t think I give a ****
so please let me rest
so please give me peace
I’m ready for that one final test
but if today’s not my day to meet my Lord and Savior
I have faith that He awaits to see what I endeavour
to see if I struggle
to see if I care  
to see if I fight
to see if I dare
I dare to dream
I dare to try
I dare to soar
I dare to fly
so from the sea I’ll breach my wings
and track Icarus’ fall from the Kings
for where he fell, so too shall I fly, to the moon and back - so dare shall I

His eyes were headlights at midnight
The unexpected dawning of a new world
Snatched away as suddenly as it came
Leaving in its wake,
The blinding stare of blue-black patches
Staining the asphalt like spilled paint.
Oh, my dear,
You flew, too fast, too high,
the reckless wantonness of youth
grasping through your wings,
The way her hands once ran through your hair,
what do you have left
But the drag of gravity,
The silver blade of the scream
Just before
The fall.

my dear,
can i call you that?
it's not applicable, but carries weight
our fingertips no longer touch
our mouths no longer smile
too full of vows left unsaid

let me say them now
i loved you
i loved you and i felt trapped by you
not by a fault of yours
the desert was calling
i could not resist

you know how i am
forever chasing the sun
i think i may have gotten too close
the wax on my wings is burning
bringing you down with me
sorry

© 2021 benedict

On the overpass
a man throws his arms up
In crucifixion grace  
His expression is wandering between
Elation and desecration
Face ****** to the late afternoon sun
Belly pressed to the rail like the bow of a ship

My stomach curdling
I pass beneath him
Panicked, I check the rear view for swerving cars and relieved,
find none.
At home the 911 call list shows nothing
On that stretch of road.

I hope he was only greeting the autumn
An icarus whose wings
Never melted.

Fair goddess, strip me of my wings
And cast my body to the sea

Atleast then I become the rain that kisses your cheek-
the morning dew that brushes your ankles-
the snow that rests upon your raven lashes.

For as Icarus envies the sky for embracing the sun, I envy these things in their gorgeous simplicity

And yet,
they dwell oblivious to the fortune they posses-the gift of touching you

If insanity is truly a blissful ignorance,
then take my mind so my heart can be free,
set it on fire and gift the ashes to the wind.
If I shall burn, then I burn like Icarus,
euphorically and foolishly in love.

i am not icarus,
but your heart
beams brighter than the sun
and if i could construct wings made of wax
to reach the heat of your heart once more
i'd do it before that anxious little *****
could even strike a beat
if only you would just allow me
to melt all over again
in the rays of your sunlight

i used to listen to you speak of icarus
your eyes would widen
with fascination and fire
as the myth reemerged in your memory
you spoke to me
with every syllable so delicately selected
and i would listen to you
awestruck by the way
you taught me your historic tales
you made time stop
while letting me experience
what felt like an eternity of bliss
in your sunlight
you crafted your word with your heart
and used your voice as it's vessel  
and i would sit there dumbfounded
so pleasantly paralyzed
by the pure passion
behind every single breath
that you spoke to me softly
each and every last one
of those nights we shared
your sunlight never failed to shine
no matter how dark
the settings of your stories were
but i remember
the feeling in my gut that day
the day i truly understood your passion
for that one tale
i'd still beg to hear you tell to me once more
it was the day you told me
i flew too close to the sun for your comfort
but when i soared through our sky
i melted so effortlessly into your sunset
but you believed my wings
were too close to your flames
so as i basked in the rays of your sunlight
you to pushed me away from them
so that i'd fall and crash
into the ocean right below me
your attempts to cool off
the burns that never were
you were petrified i'd be scolded but now
i've been swallowed by a sea of sorrow
and the lonely stars of the night sky
so frigidly cold
without your hearts heat
to keep me warm
i know you wanted to save me
from bearing the fate of icarus
but the only thing that's burning
is the hate that i hold now
for this rendition and how
i feel i'm farther from the sun
than the day i first dreamt to reach it