Icarus

by Michelle Zhang

My past had warned me against ambitions

My wings were nothing but wax and metal

Clogged by seawater, melted by sun

I knew where to fly;

Low, but not so low that I’d sink

High, but high enough only to skim the clouds

You, when I saw you,

Were surrounded by blue

Your favorite color;

You couldn’t see the others

You were brighter than the stars;

So dazzling I could never look

Directly at you; only near you

Only hold my finger up

To taste a glimpse of your light

And the moment you called;

Or, at least, I thought you did;

Or, at least, I heard it;

Or, at least, I wanted it;

I was yours, heart and soul

My sunburnt wings were yours

And so was I

Falling even as my feathers

Tore from my back

Falling even as I watched

My wings shred from your heat

Bronze and gold leaves

Scattering above me

Falling even as I hit the water

Blue, blue everywhere

Your favorite color.