Daedalus, you tell me lies, countless endless lies
Lies about the nature of good and evil,
Lies about the nature of men
Lies, Lies, Lies
And still you expect me to trust, follow you blindly.
You said that god was good, on our side
That our country was good, only did right
That we were open, friendly, good to all
That we are free, that we can be who we are meant to be without being judged
And still you were not done lying.
You lied when you said the Labyrinth was impenetrable,
That Minos would be fair
That nothing would happen because you would, you could, protect me
Now you say that if I fly into the sun, into knowledge, into change, into a better future,
I will die
And you expect me to believe you.
But I am no longer blind, no longer a child.
You gave me wings, you taught me to fly
You gave me a mind and taught me how to use it
And now you tell me not to, and you expect me to listen.
But I am through listening to the lies of old men.
I feel the wind lifting me, feel the power of my wings
The sun shines so brightly, promising warmth, divinity, knowledge, a better future
You cry “Come down, it will kill you,” but I know better, I know your lies.
The wind blows past my face, I spiral higher, chasing impossible dreams past possibility
Higher than any before me has dared, and if I die, at least I dared
That is why you call me down, because you never had the courage
Because if I make it, then your world built on rationalizations will burn in the sunlight
Of a better future.
I can smell the feathers scorching, my hair singing, feel my face burning
But it doesn’t matter, for I can see Beauty, Light, Truth, Right that you will never know
My mind in ecstasy, illuminated, the lies, the contradictions, the ignorance, the fear
Swept, burned away like cobwebs by the Light.
All is understood, and then dark. My eyes are blinded, my flesh burned, my wings gone.
I fall, triumphant, because though I die, fallen, I am greater than you
I have tasted what it truly is to be human, I transcended all your flaws and mine
I have known perfection, had my faults cleansed, and in the cleansing perish
I am the greater, Daedalus. I know my imperfection, I know perfection is impossible
Yet I strive toward it, for me, for society, for a better future.