A fisherman holds his breath
with shielded eyes
we watched him rise
bright white wings silhouetted against a sun-drenched blue
oh, his flight was bold enough
to impress the gods
and yet we gave him ever longer odds
the higher that he flew
with shielded eyes
we watched him rise
and then we watched him stall
wax and feathers dripping from his arms
and then
we watched
him
fall
and
fall
and throughout his tumbling seaward descent
as he argued through flailing limbs against his fate
I held my fisherman's breath
and vowed to squander
no more this Aegean life of mine
as if invincible
to the march of time
as if mere man
could be immortal
oh we watched him argue
and we watched him fall
and then
with such shocking wonder
we watched him
gracefully surrender
to the innocence of it all
with shielded eyes
we watched him rise
bright white wings silhouetted against a sun-drenched blue
oh, his flight was bold enough
to impress the gods
and yet we gave him ever longer odds
the higher that he flew
with shielded eyes
we watched him rise
and then we watched him stall
wax and feathers dripping from his arms
and then
we watched
him
fall
and
fall
and throughout his tumbling seaward descent
as he argued through flailing limbs against his fate
I held my fisherman's breath
and vowed to squander
no more this Aegean life of mine
as if invincible
to the march of time
as if mere man
could be immortal
oh we watched him argue
and we watched him fall
and then
with such shocking wonder
we watched him
gracefully surrender
to the innocence of it all