ANTI-WINTER: THE DOUBLE LIFE OF AN ANGEL

—after Eileen Tabios' "The Secret Life of An Angel" after Jose Garcia Villa’s “Girl Singing”

 

 

Girl singing. Day.

Winter's old

man

 

reaches for immortality

with a

lengthening

 

shadow despite my

skipping

away.

 

Girl singing!  I

insist. Day!

Cheerfully

 

chant to keep

the clouds

from

 

dimming the sun,

from milking

skies

 

of their cobalt

gazes bespeaking

purity.

 

He has worn

many guises,

and

 

I have let him:

the original

angel

 

who fell and

fell—"glorious

ride,”

 

he has whispered

for his

spell.

 

“This is a

game of

poker

 

I have lost,

but no

longer

 

wish to play,”

I reply.

Girl

 

singing. Day!  I

proclaim: “You

cannot

 

scoff, my secret

demon. For

I

 

played with high

stakes while

you

 

merely watched.” Girl

singing. Day.

I

 

risked everything while

you hedged.

I

 

sang notes only

virgin boys

can

 

muster, only fearful

dogs can

hear.

 

I lost myself

in everyone's

"valley

 

of evil" but

my wings

unfurled

 

to make me

rise. Unlike

your

 

wings, mine did

not betray. Girl

singing.

 

Day. Beloved wings

unfurled as

I

 

changed my mind

for Heaven

nearer

 

than mere breath

away. Girl

singing:

 

       Day...oh.  Daaaaaaaaay...oh.  Girl

       go singing

       Daaaaaaaaaaayay....oh!

 

 

 

 

© Eileen Tabios