LOVE Poem: “I’m Icarus”, by Ashti Salih

I’m Icarus, grounded in Iraq.
A thousand talents are concealed within.
I can no longer soar in this sky,
The sun, now my adversary.

Take me to England,
Where the sun’s rays fail to reach.
Here, where I belong,
In a realm devoid of room
for love, life, and free thought.

United Ideas and the realm of the mind
Have informed me, they have come to a decision.
I must depart from Iraq, or they’ll leave me behind,
In the timeless expanse of thoughtless land.

The mind is a pomegranate,
Winter waits patiently,
Bursting with fresh and juicy talents
Too new to taste.

Stab me!
You see naught but talent.
Talents torn yearn to be set free,
Too unripe to brave the sun.

The time to decide nears,
With Virgin Ideas,
We will bravely face the sun,

And the journey to England.

It’s better to test the wings
Then bury them alive.
When I reach England,
I will take flight,
Even on solid ground.