As we take the leap,
I look into your eyes for a picture to keep,
Liquid gold in sun's ethereal ray,
"Like your mother's" - but it's too late to say.

You've taken the leap, your wings a flight,
And immediately, you glimpse the star to your right.
Your mien ignites with such passion.
So beautifully bright, your visage says of a fashion.

I chuckle and warn,
"Do not find yourself so forlorn
That you would ride into the sun,
For it burns the likes of which you cannot run."

You nod, but I wonder if I ever had your ear
As you dip closer towards the water to peer,
Your reflection riding the waves,
Enraptured by your beauty, the kind that enslaves.

I tap your shoulder and shout,
"Do not fall prey to something that so quickly runs out!"
You affirm, but I wonder if you knew I uttered a word,
Sailing through the world like a bird.

You're silent for a time,
And I take pride in your silent climb,
Taking in the universe in its infinity,
Accepting its ultimate divinity.

While you, a mere mouse upon this land,
Can still lay claim to all you find grand,
Admiring the arresting view
As you look down before you.

But as I glance above me,
You are enthralled in that celestial being; you flee
You extend your hand to grace its light
So that it may consume all your blight.

O, son! Do you not see?
How it attacks your wings so eagerly,
Peeling back the feathers altogether
Until there is nothing left of your tether

The feathers plunder into the ocean's grip
And upon the wind's insistence, you dip,
You plummet down, down below
Until the water pulls you under, O sorrow!

All this happens in but a second
And I would give everything for that second
To again gaze upon your rueful face
Of which the world has left no trace.

A tear graces my cheek, falling into the sea
Imperceptible in the water, I see
As I continue to fly alone up here
And wonder if I am the sole citizen of the stratosphere.

Just when I ponder the enticements of the sun,
A slip of paper through the air does run.
I snatch at it before it may fly away
And unfold it so I may read what you meant to say:

"Dear father,
I know my actions have been less than kind,
Ignoring your words and neglecting my duties.
As a son, I should have made you proud.

Instead you've uncovered my secrets,
The ones I've meant to keep hidden in the dark.
I thought my youth would last forever
And until of late, I've never realized how

Easy it is to fall into a false happiness.
So while I fall, gone from you,
Never believe it was you who sent me
Upon this path of no return.

I will love you forever, my father.
From wherever I am."

I clutch the paper to my breast,
Amazed I was able to read the rest
Without my heart giving way
Upon this tumultuous day.

O, Icarus, my son,
You lived brighter than anyone.
And what I wouldn't give to hold you close
And run my hand through your hair as the sun rose.

But flying through the sky,
I hold your words in my heart,
So that we'll never truly be apart
As I reflect on the word left to silence: goodbye.

And so I fly on,
Upon this new day drawn.