Icarus Revisited

lillian

He feigns strength,
gilds his world golden.
His name. His visage. His way.
Trumpian mythology
built lie by lie, threat by threat.
Its depth unimaginable,
bottomless pit of greed, racism.
So self-consumed is he,
blind to his wax wings melting.
Truth’s flame is invincible


Written for Quadrille Monday at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. Today De asks us to include the word “myth” or a form of the word in a poem of exactly 44 words sans title.

Reference is made to mythology’s Icarus whose wings were made of wax…which led to his demise when he flew too close to the sun.

18 thoughts on “Icarus Revisited”

  1. kim881's avatar kim881 June 15, 2026 / 4:23 pm

    Nicely done, Lill! I can’t wait to see the fall of that awful man.

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  2. whimsygizmo's avatar whimsygizmo June 15, 2026 / 4:42 pm

    That rotting, melting pumpkin adds even more visual power to this poem, Lill.

    Liked by 2 people

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  3. rothpoetry's avatar rothpoetry June 15, 2026 / 4:49 pm

    Blinded to his melting wings! Very well done, Lillian. We were thinking along the same lines on this one!

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. Truedessa's avatar Truedessa June 15, 2026 / 8:46 pm

    Sadly, it is our new reality.

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. Gillena Cox's avatar Gillena Cox June 15, 2026 / 11:46 pm

    fantastic quadrille, great image

    much love

    Liked by 2 people

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  10. merrildsmith's avatar merrildsmith June 16, 2026 / 10:29 am

    We were on the same wavelength with our quadrilles, Lill.

    “Trumpian mythology
    built lie by lie,” So true!

    I always think Icarus had the excuse of youth–like the young men who go off to war thinking they’re invincible. The demented one doesn’t have that excuse.

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  11. Yvonne Osborne's avatar Yvonne Osborne June 16, 2026 / 10:59 am

    Wonderfully stated!!! The wax wings are melting, crash and burn. Can’t be soon enough. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. Helen's avatar Helen June 16, 2026 / 3:05 pm

    Lillian there are days i feel positively bone weary, brain weary … your poetry is the perfect illustration of why.

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  13. Mish's avatar Mish June 16, 2026 / 4:24 pm

    Yes indeed. A legend in his own mind. Nice one, Lill.

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  14. ben Alexander's avatar ben Alexander June 18, 2026 / 4:28 am

    Lillian, I like how you use the story of Icarus to show that a person can build a world of lies, but truth still shines brighter in the end. 🔥

    ~David

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