ICARUS
   I   

I too dreamed of flying
to touch the clouds
puffy and damp
and to lay sleeping
looking down
to the ground below
and watch in
perfect contemplation
as the earth drifts by

A dream of peace
to see the world
as only the gods before me

Dreams are made
to transform reality

   II   

Icarus, you
flew under your
own energy
knowing the power
of self-flight
with homemade wings
of feathers and wax

What was it like
playing tag with the stars
looking over Zeus's world
all powerful as a god
observing ordinary man
on the island below
soaring ever higher
to touch the clouds
and to witness the wonders
unseen by mortal men
in their mundane world
far below your feet
until you flew too high
and wings fell apart
as wax melted and
feathers burned
crashing to the ground
in ruin
but unlike the phoenix
you'll never raise again

   III   

A brisk wind blowing
on a cloudless day
as dreams flourish
to reality
I watch the hawk
which I named Icarus
screeching in defiance
or is it a challenge
for me to join him
in the vast deep
oceans in the sky

With wings I too
might lift myself
into your heavenly realms
without a plane
or even a glider
to support myself

No I want self flight
to play tag with the wind
and to feel the breeze
rush by me as I fly
and to feel the sun
upon my back
as I rest on a cloud

Dreams are made
to challenge their makers
and to transform the world

   IV   

Soft wind blowing
puffy clouds drifting
in the currents
forever circling
beckoning me

Dreams, realities
and the powers that be
await me
to take flight
to go where before
only my dreams took me
breathe in, breathe deeply
the heaven scents
and the knowledge
that the ability
lies within me
only if I begin
to push aside my fears
and join Icarus
in his flight

He screeches above me
calling, pleading
me to come to the heavens
and join him

Fears hold me back
Icarus, were you scared
just before you flew
to escape your prison
with your dad
ahead of you
to flee an unjust confinement
willingly risking it all
to taste freedom. . .
the unlimited freedom
of the heavens

   V   

Soft sunset
the northern lights burning
the skies a brilliant orange
with streaks of red
racing up to the heavens
a pathway for me
guiding my eyes
Jacob's ladder
awaits before me
silently beckoning
with Icarus calling
go ahead, be free
of the bounds
that limits you
throw off the weight
that Atlas bears
join me in the
freedom to fly
uninhibited by cares
worries that you suffer

Silently I look up
with longing lighting
my tear streak eyes
if only I dare

Without thinking
I reach out
spreading my arms
as if they were wings

I feel the weight
from decades of cares
slowly drain from
my conscious mind

I look about
as one newborn
pregnant with hope
for the morrow
and the knowledge
that only I matter
not the past disappointment
that fettered my wings
grounding me

Surprise I glance around
clouds drift by to the left of me
puffy castles and
steaming dragons
shine clearly through
the setting below me
a gentle breeze
massages my front
and I slowly realize
that Icarus flies before me
that I too am free
from the concerns of life
and the angels are cheering
while Zeus smiles his approval
as I buzz the clouds
that surrounds Mount Olympus
and below me
the great tapestry unfolds
in brilliant blues
and dazzling greens
and all the other colors
in their spectrums
that together creates the earth

Not the earth that I once knew
but something transformed
into a place of endless wonders
and infinite possibilities
Am I a God, I think,
but no,
I'm just a man
one that flies for now
and Icarus calls me onward
to the end of all things
which also marks the beginning