there’s an angel that
loiters around under neon
signs at the corner liquor
store, all wings and eyes, and
mouth barely visible
through smoke rings; the
night drips from her like
honey, and she tells me
stories of Elysium in exchange
for cigarettes and cheap 99s.
I was the one who tempted
Orpheus to strike a gaze at his lover,
her smile is laced with Olympus
but her eyes show the depths
of Tartarus. I tell her
Eurydice loved him to the
point of forgiveness, and I once
reaching the Asphodel meadows
will beguile Hades into bringing them
back together.
her mouth releases from a
Marlboro as she picks up another
weapon of sins and sips slowly,
saying nothing about my
blasphemy and deception:
she understands.