Fred at dVerse want us to write about myths. And here is mine.
The Fall of Icarus by Marc Chagall
I can’t avoid to hear about celebrities
who differ from the rest of us
their fame exceeds the 15 minutes
a time span for the rest of us
some are famous for the things they’d done
and thus admired by the rest of us
but other’s carried by their parents gold
they are just envied by the rest of us
they join with lesser gods and pretty nymphs
isolated beauty from the rest of us
we see the picture of the rich and famous
so easily seduce the rest of us
but if the wings of money carry them too high
in hubris fly above the rest of us
like Ikaros on wings he got from Daedalus
they’ll fall and join the rest of us
or carried on the wings of drug abuse’
they end in prison like the rest of us
the lessons we can learn from ancient myths
applies to them and to rest of us
with hubris, you could so easily believe
that you can stay above the rest of us.
—
May 4, 2013
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Incredible BR! I love this (line 9 needs correcting?) they is written twice.
Thank you 🙂 I wrote it in a hurry. where to write something relating to myths.
really apt metaphor. Bjorn.
Thank you 🙂
Really good for being written in a hurry 😉
Thank you… I think it might fit dVerse tonight
Nicely done – I sometimes wonder about a culture that exults people without concrete accomplishments.
In the start, if you had a celebrity it would be differs, celebrities differ.
In
and there are quite a few cases where the fall is as rapid as the rise… and thank your for correcting my grammar..
nice…great use of repetition in this…it gives it an interesting rhythm…and the heights to which we climb, so much further to fall for often we forget they are just as human as the rest of us…
The myth about hubris but also the envy we have is something that exist in humanity,
really like how you used the icarus story to really create a wonderful modern day societal metaphor. Exceptionally done. Thanks
Thank you, it’s a really import and very human myth.
ah..the wings of money or drug abuse…they can carry you high for a moment but the downfall is even harder…well penned and the repetition works so well
Thank you.. I thought it fitting after a week with visit from Justin Bieber.
Smart take on mythology and its application to us. For sure they’re fragile stars, ready to fall at any time. More illusion than reality for them. Very cool, Bjorn.
Thank you -)
Very cool – love the repetition and the Icarus myth is wonderfully re-written – K
Thank you.. thought it was fitting after opening the newspapers.
I like the modern beat to the tale and repetitive lines Bjorn ~ But in the end, they all fade and die, like the rest of us ~ Happy weekend ~
Happy weekend back soon bedtime here
I like the repitition of “like the rest of us”… so many times, stars fall and hit hard… it’s sad really, their struggles. I’m glad I’m one of “us.”
Me also… but I think we also like to pull them down..
Having spent a decade as an actor, hobnobbing with celebrities, I was surprised to find that they have foibles “like the rest of us”, and that their fans would be sad to really spend face time with their heroes.
Yes I think that is true too. We give them wings and then we want to pull them down again. Really quite sad.
You inspired me to write a poem.
QUITE CLEAR
I do not want to be
“the rest of us”, you see.
I want to be by God
and hit ‘em with the rod!
+ 🙂 +
Good for you.. there is a certain element of Jante in this poem, that you need to be a Scandinavian to grasp.
Yes. They have this respect for “the One And Only” and “Number One” (respectively) which make them common.
Irrestible rhythm and refrain de-bunking pseudo celebrities who think they are myths – brilliant.
Thank you.. but also a kind of irony in “the rest of us” was intended.
I don’t have a TV, and I miss a lot of the celebrity thing…until I go to the hairdresser and they put magazines in front of me…I’m mystified as to who half the people are and why I should want to know details of their life, even my friends might think twice about revealing to me. And hubris is always a danger, and must be especially hard for young stars to avoid.
yes.. but we are also eager to lift them up, and then pull them down again… an ugly game.
I hate the celebrity thing… as if they’re oh so important bores me..this is a great poem because at the end of the day they’re just like the rest of us…and more often than not a hell of a lot worse off than the rest of us… loved the rhythm and pace of this poem…well done!
Thank you.. yes that’s what the Icarus myth tells me..
What a great way to interpret the myth. This really shows the importance of the stories even today. To interlace the lives of the movies stars is quite compelling, given the adoration they are shown by many.
I think we love to give them wings, and sometimes just enjoy to see them fall.
…sad truth about the pattern of fame these days… def far away from the historical essence of achieving it that the earth used to know… good reminder to the fact that even birds that almost lived in the sky are to be burried deep down in earth when they fall & die like the rest of us… the sky takes naught of flesh but only of soul to decay… Smiles…
Indeed.. it’s a great myth, with plenty to teach us..
Superb, both in concept and execution. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Thank you David. To me there is also a sinister meaning in “the rest of us” as I think we sometimes provide both the wings and enjoy the fall…
Great writing
Thank you 🙂
Something I’ve always marveled at; the way folks tend to elevate others above themselves. The rest of us tend to think we are unworthy or unable to achieve greatness. And so, they/we spend our lives looking through the bars of a cage we willingly walked into and live within. The secret is to realize the door opens from the inside.
Exactly.. everyone had the key to their own success… but living through other’s success and misery.. My own ambition is neither to be “the rest of us” or rise above.. we are simply humanity.
Well done, especially for a piece that was penned quickly – and its themes of ambition and hauteur are compelling. You may want to check your caption to “Fall of Icarus” – but I definitely think that the composition by Chagall is an excellent counterpoint to the theme.
Thank you, I think of humanity is a little bit similar as gravity. And thank you for pointing out the error in the caption 🙂
wonderfully crafted delineating them and rest of us only to finally fall in one and as one!
Thank you 🙂
I enjoyed your modern take on this myth. I liked the metaphors you used for the wings. As one who abhors and avoids the cult of celebrity, I can still see the influence it has with so much of our culture. I agree that it’s sad – we are all connected, so why do any have to be ‘above’ or ‘below’? I suppose it’s human nature…but the thing is, ALL of us are “the rest of us”. 🙂 I found this thought-provoking. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you. To me the old myths were written as metaphors to begin with.. 🙂
A brilliant take and interpretation 🙂
Thank you. It helps to write when you are passionate enough.