Of Angels and Devils

by Safa Khalaf (Bahrain)

When light falls upon a darkened path,
A young child passes by an old man’s wrath,
His sweet dreams shunned the bitter nightmares,
As hope is kindled in silent prayers.

The young heart beats to life’s delights,
To the sweetness of honey and peaceful sights,
To the eyes of a child, a morning’s bliss,
Is that which starts with an angel’s kiss.
Of angels and heavens, his dreams are made,
Friends of joy, I wish they stayed,
Under the golden sun, and the silver moon,
To chant soft songs with an enchanted tune.

Upon that path, amongst the wrath, the young child walked,
Thinking he was alone, but Lo! He’s stalked,
A benighted figure, tall and mysterious,
“Stop!” he commands. A deep voice. Imperious.

“There’s no more to the path than what you see.
For I know lands. Accompany me!
I’ll show you tricks, of golden glees.
I’ll take you far, across the seas.”

Amid the sparkle of the day, a shadow starts to linger,
Waiting for the right moment, to strike by a powerful slinger,
Seeping through the child’s soul, the old habits start to part,
Wilder, fresher sensations start
Burning desire in a youthful heart

The child is a child no more,
A man he is, 6 foot four,
With Satan’s drink, and the Gold of Fire,
He roams around, with sinful desire!

A company, cruel and vicious,
With twisted thoughts, so malicious,
Leads the man astray,
From his path, into decay.

With years of guilt slipping fast,
As death is near, the sins have massed,
Repenting what he had done,
Of all the devils and hells he won,
Seeking alone in his lonely abyss,
A road he once trod, has gone amiss,
A path he knew, of the golden suns, and the silver moons,
The beautiful songs with the enchanted tunes

When darkness falls upon a lightened path,
An old man walks by in foreseen wrath,
His nightmares revived by burning flares,
When hope is killed in desperate prayers.