Pick your Poison
by Katara Haran, Fintona Girl’s School
Finalist, Years 7 – 8, written poetry
No one remembers Icarus and the sea
Only the sun with its temptation
Falling. Falling. Falling
Icarus laughed as he died
Spirited
Would it have been better
If the sea. Cold, dark.
Had swallowed him whole
Icarus flew
For seconds, days, eternity
For he was a miracle
Icarus was never meant to fly
But tell me
Was it worth it to pay a small price to be free?
No one remembers, Achilles and madness
Just the brightness of his wins
Spiraling. Spiraling. Spiraling
Achilles lived as he died
Honored
Would it have been better
If he lived
The monster inside, swallowing him whole
Achilles fought
For seconds, days, eternity
For he was a hero
Achilles turned the tide of the war
But tell me
Was it worth it, to lose himself for glory?
No one remembers Jason and his ruin
Just the golden gleam of prosperity
Losing. Losing. Losing
Jason wept as he died
Already gone
Would have it been better
If he had died. Young, rich, famous
Loved by all
Jason wasted away
For seconds, days, eternity
For Jason used to be loved
Jason thought he could have it all
But tell me
Was it worth it to pay the cost of love?
We tell our children these stories
Tell them “Don’t make these mistakes”
We forget these heroes were mortals too
Just. Like. Us
Darkness cannot exist without light
Good without bad
Heroes without suffering
Can we change what is
Flowing. Flowing. Flowing
Through our veins
No one remembers humanity and defeat
Just the taste of victory
So. Pick. Your. Poison.
Freedom, glory, or love
Humanity can pick one
But it always comes with a cost.
Want to read more poems? Explore the other Years 7 – 8 finalists.