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