The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn

[Dark Muse]

The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn

My Lady Icarus
rose like the black-checkered
queen and set your sights
too high,
with the world already
tilting beneath your feet
you sought to reach
what even fate could not bestow.

By night's shadow
you weaved your own
wings upon which you
believed you could fly
endlessly, unrestrained,
but even you, moon faced
beauty, where women could
only hope to reflect
the light of men,
was scorched by passion.

Wanting more than
the scraps that were given,
world-shaker
how your pale fingers reached out
to touch
what should not be touched
and you were burned
by lust and ambition
for not even you
could hold the sun between your hands
or thighs.

For how can he,
golden crowned
with the world before his feet
know any but the love of self,
how he has always
burned through the hearts
and beds of women,
until nothing but ashes were left.

For one brief
glorious moment,
you thought you had conquered
all, and you beheld
the universe,
but it was too all consuming
as a bird on broken wings
you fell into the depths
of darkness forever
cast from his light.

[qimissung]

One of your best, I think, DM.

[Dark Muse]

Thank you!

[Bar22do]

Pitfalls of ambition in a vile world of powerful man... (that's what I failed to express in my last effort and you did so simply beautifully!) This is so well penned. Thanks Muse. Bar

[MorpheusSandman]

Actually, I'll go out on a limb and say this IS the best you've written, DM. It's so good I read it four times just to try and parse what makes it so excellent. Firstly, I think you have a really strong narrative here, with an excellent establishment, development, climax, and decrescendo. I love how you hold it all together with imagery and allusion: Icarus/wings, day VS night, light/heat VS darkness, hands/reaching, and the world itself. Nearly every stanza features an inclusion and development of these motifs and themes, and all of them wonderfully express the tragic nature of the story without becoming didactic or maudlin. In fact, there's a certain narrative distance here from the speaker that I like, a 2nd person perspective that is just slightly tinged with both reverence and sadness so it isn't too cold or too manipulative. We can feel it, but we don't feel as if it's being thrust on us.

Your line breaks are judiciously and tellingly chosen. For the first three stanzas most of the first words of each new line resonate with strength both in terms of the meter and what they tell us about the subject, from the pronounced nouns and telling adjectives: "queen", "wings", "beauty", "world-shaker", to the proactive verbs: "rose", "tilting", "weaved", "believed", "to touch". But then there are the bits of wariness and foreshadowing of the trouble, "too high", "scorched", "lust", "burned", etc. It's a wonderful balancing act you perform here.

[Dark Muse]

*bows* I thank you very much for your kind and thoughtful commnets.

[Buh4Bee]

DM, I blush in your presences again. What a fantastic talent you share.

This poem is so smooth and the subject matter difficult to write about "poetically". I was drawn in by the narrative style of the story, yet carried by the simple metaphors. I think MS is correct that this could easily fall into a didactic lesson and you steered clear of that- I'm impressed. It is a nature way to go and one I may have followed. Anne Boleyn is a subject biography that continues to fascinate the commoner.

[Delta40]

I would agree with everyone else DM. It is a passionate plight here and I really love S3. I like the use of Lady Icarus as ambition flying too close to the sun.

The story of Lady Mary Heath nicknamed Lady Icarus due to her great aviation exploits could well be applied to this poem too. She died destitute after soaring to great heights.

[Dark Muse]

I would agree with everyone else DM. It is a passionate plight here and I really love S3. I like the use of Lady Icarus as ambition flying too close to the sun.

The story of Lady Mary Heath nicknamed Lady Icarus due to her great aviation exploits could well be applied to this poem too. She died destitute after soaring to great heights.

Thank you! This poem was inspired by the idea which popped into my head about the way in which the story of Anne Boleyn is reflective of the myth of Icarus.

[IceM]

I agree with the opinions above, I really thought this was well written. The imagery was beautiful, the poem's structure was well-crafted, the narrative entertaining. Well written and well formed, nicely done Dark Muse.

[MystyrMystyry]

Brilliant!

[Maryd.]

Hmmm... Um, er...
Hmmm...