I dived,
My father’s wax wings slicing through the sky,
The radiating sun, unravelling my wings
As I collapse towards the sea,
Wind carrying my laughter and a cry.
Every heartbeat traced the thrill of impossibility.
Yet I held back,
I felt the warmth.
One moment,
Gravity is nothing but a word.
Another moment,
I am soaring, softening into the horizon.
Fearless, lightweight.
Then the fall comes.
Yet even during the descent,
I know at least I flew
And in that last flight,
I touched everything I had ever wanted to be.
Jiten Thapar
Grade: 11 / Sec. V
Aurora Academic Charter High School
Edmonton, AB
“The inspiration for my poem was the fall of Icarus. Many talk about how Icarus was falling because he flew too high towards the sun, and he did not listen to his father. The only thing we miss is that when he was falling, he had a smile on his face. What we don't see is that Icarus while flying high, soaring unlike everyone else, was happy he had reached as high as he had ever wanted. What is also not mentioned is that to have fallen is to have flown as high as possible, and this really demonstrated my life at the moment I wrote this as the time that I was falling, meant that I had once flown.”
Bio
Jiten Thapar is a Grade 11 student from Edmonton, Alberta. His poetry explores identity, pressure, and the moments that shape how young people understand themselves and the world. Outside of writing, he enjoys tutoring younger students, studying science, and staying active by playing basketball.