~| t h r e e . a n g e l s |~



They gathered round
and kissed my brow
wiped clean the sweat
of my sore face

Zili, Bromfin, and Yygra,
angels three fluttering
prettily grooming, singing:
"dear sweet man,
oh dear sweet man..."

my wild eyes roll round
and my wild tongue speaks,
"is this what it is to be dead?"
and Zili spake then

"dear sweet man,
oh dear sweet me...
what has become
of your shiny smile...?"

my drying lips part
painfully, twist
smiling like
a curvy knife,
"my smile,
oh lovely seraph,
fits a face no longer mine..."

my back arched suddenly
sending angels flying
only to immediately
tender their ministrations

Bromfin spake then,
"dear sweet man,
oh dear sweet man,
where is the blue
of thine shiny eyes?"

a roll of morbid orbs
to fix with a stare,
I said,
"cracked like the mud
of a river run dry,
and the red of the blood
collects slowly inside"

my fingers clenched
at the pain I subdue
and all at once
the angels went pensive,
Yygrassa spake then

"oh dying man,
why don't you ask for mercy?
oh pitiful suffering creature
we could give you solace,
dear sweet man,
there's no need for pain any longer..."

the shards of glass
within my throat
slid softly slicing
as I bled a laugh
and steadying saying
"you lovely ones...
who are you to speak of suffering?
who are you to contemplate solace?
One thing kills my heart,
and one thing only"

The angels trembled
one by one,
and Zili asked,
"And what,
man with darkened eyes,
what can heal you?
what can mend that heart that dies?
what can rekindle those lightless eyes...?
what can give you what we cannot?"

my smile,
feeling less like a gash,
formed little words
and layed quiet
anyone wise enough
to listen-
speaking fevered words,
"your fourth member-
wayward angel,
lady of blue skies,
mender of my heart
she holds
the only light for me"


© 2002, h e a t h . h o u s t o n