Icarus and I by Callin

Icarus and I by Callin - June 2022 Scholarship Essay

Caution has commanded every decision I’ve made since the moment I turned 15. The world smiled down at me with the same teeth that would gnaw on me later, chew me up, spit me out, and dare me to try again.
As a result, I became a fearful witness. Everything is a risk. Every good thing has a motive. Keep your eyes forward, keep your feet planted….keep preparing for something worse.
And I think of Icarus who was gnawed on and spit out in the same way I was. He burned and he plummeted sure, but for a moment he had exactly what he wanted. He wasn't just warned not to fly too close to the sun, he also was told to not get too close to the water and in the end...he did both.
So maybe, in some way we are both representations of extremities. Him with his hubris and me with my fright. The boy who soared too high and the girl who never left the ground. Both are contained within the parameters of a myth. Simultaneously, stories are told to children to remind them who not to be.
And maybe I am jealous of him. Maybe his story was better. Though he knew the consequence, he committed to them without the apprehension to abandon them. He has his place in the sky, his thrill, his rush, his wax, his feathers, and all of that more.