Icarus br has had a bad press br throughout history br as some sort of moral metaphor br for a man who challenged br Intelligent Design br andor the gods br and failed, in a narrow-minded view br br A young man’s ambition br and perhaps devotion br drew him towards the heavens br why not br and science had not developed very far br so how was he to know br except by experiment br br I’d like to think that as he dropped br out of a cloudless Greek sky br out of mythology br out of Breughel’s painting br out of Auden’s mindfulness br br he was caught before the third and last bobbing up br by a bevy of compassionate mermaids br and returned gently to land br to live again perhaps under br an assumed name br br while the mermaids sang to each other his story br across the seven seas br who whispered it to men br in the off-shore breeze br as a moral story telling how br br heartfelt prayer always reaches heaven br there to be taken into account br but science is dodgy, make sure br you get it right and br it will be your servant br br and when one day with heaven’s consent br you build a better vehicle to ‘conquer’ space br though how untrue a phrase br perhaps Apollo would be br a safer name since Icarus Two br somehow doesn’t have that ring about it.