Ode from a Fallen Angel

A Poem

Photo by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash

they pushed me down onto the pavement,
my wings against their razor blades —
and i screamed as the blades tore
into cartilage and feathers and marrow

and i screamed
for all to hear

and i screamed
as if my lungs were raw

my heart became fresh meat
for the purveyors
and the seers
and the watchers

i bled on the pavement
until my vision blanked out —
and, when i awoke, everyone
was gone

gone
as if my assailants
had never
been

gone
as if they had been
just mirages
to my senses

but my fingers found
the bloody stumps
on my back,
searching

and the wail
that tore from my
open maw
was worse