Angel / Daemon


from the ABC set 2005-2006

ANGEL:

To walk unseen through the world
Like a benign stalker
Or compulsive voyeur
Speaking directly to the heart
In an unheard language
With a tongue that only sings in praise
Such is my guardianship

To stand unknown at bedsides
A forgotten soldier
Impassive warrior
Fighting battles in the darkness
Across an undreamt line
With a sword that only wounds itself
Such is my stewardship

To fly unbound between realms
Borne up by messages
In an infinite tome
Reciting names as if poems
Were unwritten by flesh
With rhymes that break the spirit of time
Such is my mediumship

DAEMON:

To walk in plain sight across
The ugly face of the world
All spite and no polish
Speaking to the camera's eye
In a loud, brutal voice
With a mouth that only smacks its lips
Such is my statesmanship

To battle under duvets
Leaving scarred and broken
Bodies; the little death
Leaking dreams of unfulfilment
Across the crumpled sheets
With a weapon prone to friendly fire
Such is my relationship

To fall, but come up smelling
New - the opportune scene
Caught in iconic pose
Explaining the glib rationale
As if truth was money
With a value in the market place
Such is my sponsorship

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