Angel

When all I loved was laid to rest,

And thorns had bloomed within my chest,

When laughter turned to brittle sound,

And joy lay buried in the ground.

I lay upon a narrow bed,

Half-made of breath, half-lost to dread.

No prayer to speak, no dream to keep,

Just silence coiled where once was sleep.

The world had carved me sharp and deep,

It cursed my name, it stole my sleep.

It smiled with lips as cold as stone,

And left me wrecked and  alone.

No god descended through the gloom,

No devil stirred within the room.

But in that hush, so bare, so wide,

A presence came and knelt beside.

She bore no flame, she wore no crown,

Her robe was torn, her eyes cast down.

No sigil blazed upon her skin,

She breathed as one long worn and thin.

Her face was pale as moonlit frost,

A map of all that she had lost.

Her wings were frayed, their feathers bare,

A creature made of ash and air.

She touched no lamp, she spoke no spell,

And yet I knew, I somehow fell.

Not into death, but something still,

A silence shaped by grieving will.

She brushed her hand across my pain,

And took it in like summer rain.

She gathered all I dared not show,

The years I’d buried deep below.

She asked no cause, she sought no name,

She did not scold, she placed no blame.

She looked at me as mourners do,

Not with regret, but something true.

She did not lift my soul or bind

The broken pieces of my mind.

She only stayed, and held the ache,

And let the hollow cease to break.

She made no vow, she wore no light,

Yet gave my ruin back its right.

She did not end my pain or strife,

But gave it shape, and called it life.

And when she rose, she turned away,

No promise made, no price to pay.

Yet in her leaving, I could feel

A part of me begin to heal.

No bells were rung, no choirs sung,

But breath returned to unused lung.

And I, once bound by grief’s decree,

Still bear the touch she gave to me. 

Reviews

[Kelly Scheppers]

Such an emotive read, Milena. Each verse, so beautifully penned, echoes with a caliber of excellence you so brilliantly exude. I buried my brother just last week and found solace in your words and this most compelling presentation. Thank you!