Saturday, June 05, 2010

help me rewrite the Greek tragedies

blinking lights help Icarus find his way up
he now stands tall ready for flight
it was all a myth
that he fell to his death
new thoughts in the pages of our mind
acted as erasures
and brought out the truth
can he ever fall,
disgraced he might be
but he knows his way
even if he was buried in the depth of hell
why do we gloat on tragedies-
Greek or otherwise
why do we hail insults on the living
make the dead a super being?

"we need to rewrite the old tragedies-
and need to be reminded that
Icarus is unforgettable, eternal;
dead
or being alive can't change that"

24 comments:

Marja said...

Great work as I am used from you Yes we do tend to gloat on tragedies. I try everyday to rewrite them and it pays of have a great weekend

Harvee said...

I see more Icaruses around every day. Sad. Do we blame the parents?

Lorraine said...

yes, and we live on...
love how you wrote this :)

Ramesh Sood said...

No words, Gautami.. beautiful..rewriting tragedies is what doesn't come easy.. perhpas for that too one has to grow wings..the kind no sun can dare to burn. Love your writings.. visit me tomorrow as it's tomorrow I meet with ICARUS in my thoughts..

Stan Ski said...

We re-write them all the time, by learning from past mistakes.

Whitesnake said...

It is easy to live off negativity and difficult to see the positve side...it's a choice we make.

Don't stop believing!

Now that is the hard part....

flaubert said...

Nicely done!
Pamela

Harshad Mehta said...

"new thoughts in the pages of our mind acted as erasures"

New thought indeed!

Thank you.

Gemma Wiseman said...

In many ways, the Icarus story has a message that death is not a permanent, terminal fixture! Lovely poem!

anthonynorth said...

A strong point very well made.

Sherri B. said...

I love where you went with this poem...very wise words. Wonderful!

SandyCarlson said...

That we may rise again is a truth that undoes so many tragedies. Well done, my friend.

Jack said...

Gautami,

I do not know what happened to my comment on your previous poem. It is absolutely true that if you preach someone without believing in it yourself it is meaningless. These masterpieces became famous for what those were or as those were told, so rewriting those will not make much of a difference to the originals. These are my personal views but I am no authority of such matters.

Take care

Brian said...

I think the past is easier to understand than our present. Stories, myths and sagas serve as a way to cope.

shraddha said...

i love the way you look at it!

great job

Tumblewords: said...

Intriguing piece! Provocative, for sure.

Linda Goin said...

Yep, Icarus lives on. Clever use of the "erasures," and I like the visual of hailing insults. Thanks, Gautami!

brenda w said...

Tragedies and darkness pull us away from light.

Icarus flies in our minds always. Is he dead, if he exists that way?

Excellent post.

Mary said...

I agree with Stan. We rewrite tragedies all the time.

But wihin your poem, these are the lines that make me think: "Why do we hail insults on the living, make the dead a super being?" So often that seems to happen! I won't name names, but I have thinking of a few who passed within the past year or so.

http://inthecornerofmyeye.blogspot.com/2010/06/bangkok-on-kings-birthday.html

Rallentanda said...

Ah,the Greeks..and how impoverished we would be without their stories.Good poem triptoes!
Don your gloves and do join us on POW.

Ramesh Sood said...

Thanks Gautami for visiting me.. your visits are always inspiring.. well couldn't understand how to board Poetry Train..hope you will guide me..

Anonymous said...

What is death but the beginning of another life? Like the tears of a tiger, tragedy leaves us hollowed out and silent- what we take from it is the substance of our own wings.

one more believer said...

..i liked this bold statement... can't change that...

Raven's Wing Poetry said...

Absolutely beautiful. I like your take on the Icarus story...and interesting how you worked in the word "erasures". Nicely done.

-Nicole