Angel of Sidon

 

She wears red, a match waiting
for the right kindling to turn
a cold room into a bonfire of heathens.

A wink, a blush, plump lips walking
the fine line between the blank spaces
of a hell fire sermon, she is the Jezebel
the pious curse, and the bold wanton
they never take to confession.

With splashes of jasmine holy water
she baptizes those strong enough
to relish their weakness, and teases
eyes to admit their obsession with curves.

While the choir sings blindly of light
they can’t feel, she collects the tarnished
notes of their hypocrisy, and rewrites
the blood song into Eve’s freedom from Eden.

©Susie Clevenger 2022

Friday Writings #55: Bleeding Hearts

A Fool’s Catalogue of Violets

Bitter violets rest in their purple sulking,

false blooms hoodwinking fools their pressed petals

will canonize lost lovers as priests of the heart.

Dead bookmarks lie in my journals in crumbled

graveyards of inane longing…a fool’s garden planted

amongst the inked witness to my instability. 

How does one become blind to devils yet dissect

the most tender by listing flaws as if beauty of the flesh

was the gold standard by which to judge a soul.

Were I a sin eater I would be fat on my own misjudgments.

Nonsense argues a kiss can turn a toad into a prince…

What dignity is there in bargaining with fairytales?

I am an assassin, a rusted knife cutting spirits

into black valentines because I cannot bend

the strong into my weakness.

Romance, I hunger more for the idea than the truth

a candle only gives light when there is a flame.

Fantasy has no power to reincarnate reality from ashes. 

©Susie Clevenger 2022

Shay's Word Garden Word List ~ Stephen Crane

This poem was inspired by Shay's word list and the occassional junk food novels I consume.