“oil sun” by Derek McCrea

Visit Derek McCrea’s Web site.

The Ascent of Icarus
by John Manesis

My father, Daedalus, with good intentions,
preoccupied himself with his inventions—
the lever, wedge, and maze so paramount
that I believed I was of no account.
Before we lifted off the Cretan shore,
he cautioned me and, as he had before,
predicted our escape would represent
his most ingenious accomplishment.

But it was I who rose into the glare,
higher than even he would ever dare,
a moment which for once was mine to claim,
the feat forever coupled with my name.
And even as the feathers, one by one,
wafted down, I did not curse the sun.

“The Ascent of Icarus” was published by the Wisconsin Regional Writer’s Association, the winning entry in their 2006 poetry contest. It subsequently appeared in 2008 in John Manesis’ second poetry book, “Other Candle Lights,” by Seaburn Publishers.

Visit John Manesis’ poetry Web site.