he flew before he fell

icarus had never felt freedom before
never tasted it on his lips
salty like the sea air
never felt the buzz of it in his blood
boiling and bubbling until it erupts

so once he got his wings
he couldn’t wait to fly
he heard the warnings
but they were muffled
his head was filled with the promise of flight

you couldn’t blame the kid
for his excitement
couldn’t hate him for his joy
couldn’t curse him for his carelessness

he took to the air with golden wings
drunk on his newfound freedom
forgetting his past and his future
only thinking of the now

only thinking of the air tangling his hair
and of the sea spray wetting his feet
he flew up
                                   and up
                                                             and up

reaching for the clouds
reaching for the sun
reaching for the gods

didn’t hear the shouts of daedalus
didn’t see the feathers falling from him
didn’t see or hear or maybe
just didn’t care

but icarus fell down
                                  and down
                                                             and down

the air that had once lifted him
ripped more feathers from his wings
the sea that once seemed calm and inviting
was coming closer by the second

did icarus regret his mistake
did he wish that things had been different
did he know that his tale would become legend
a warning to never
fly too close to the sun
or else you might fall

icarus let one final bitter laugh ring through the air
and then he was gone
sinking deeper
                                     and deeper
                                                                   and deeper

into the sea