I try to think kindly of Icarus, waxed feathers and florid heat melted wax, & boiled tears he leaned into that bud of sun too far he believed & the hot rose beckoned greasing the sky with his epiphany the oily swathe of his feathered fall a grim sort of way to be a legend oh yes, I pity his kind of fame these days, one tweet can be anyone’s sun internet platform breeds falling stars unthinking words slip out, the kick-back our words judged, the swarm of shame I try to think kindly of Icarus
Written for NAPOWRIMO Day #27
“Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a “duplex.” A “duplex” is a variation on the sonnet, developed by the poet Jericho Brown. Here’s one of his first “Duplex” poems, and here is a duplex written by the poet I.S. Jones. Like a typical sonnet, a duplex has fourteen lines. It’s organized into seven, two-line stanzas. The second line of the first stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the second stanza, the second line of the second stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the third stanza, and so on. The last line of the poem is the same as the first.”
Out of the Cave 
Ah yes, the fickle & temporary nature of fame! 👍👏 Never lasts too long and always leaves you getting burnt!
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I’ll never think of Icarus in the same way. He’s a 140 character tweet falling flat.
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Indeed! 🙂
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I am no fan of internet fame. But I am a fan of this poem.
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You did a great job with this prompt.
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Many thanks. Found the form pretty difficult so I am glad you liked it.
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An interesting metaphor! I didn’t see it coming at all.
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Me neither! Lol. Just kind of walked into it.
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This poem has a really nice turn.
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Thank you so much! 💓
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A great connection, as it is true the Icaruses of today have no idea how to navigate and lean us all closer to the sun in the process. Powerful poem, Worms.
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Thanks, K. So glad it spoke to you. 😊
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I like this, Worms: accomplished and clever, pairing an old legend with a modern social media phenomenon —
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Thanks John. I wasn’t very comfortable with the form so I am very glad you liked it.
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I largely disregarded the form; I just went with it as it was on the page: that is is based on a particular form makes it more accomplished
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THanks, John!
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Love your duplex, Worms. You honoured the form so well and I absolutely love the image too – makes you think: is it before or after? The innocent’s sun’s reflection, the water that may have already gulped him or that he’s heading towards, wonderful ❤
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