The Angel & The Imp

Her heart pounding fast,
She stops running,
Pausing only to risk a glance…
They’re still coming,
Pursuing her…
She wears under her breath…
Third time tonight.

She shifts her weight,
And slowly glides into the corner,
But its too late.
They’ve crested the corner,
They’ve spotted her.

She hurdles the dumpster gracefully,
She knows her way through the allies,
They’ve become a second home.

Streaking down the street,
She rams into something solid and staggers a bit.
Confused, she gathers herself up,
And looks into the eyes of a familiar face.

He pulls her to him,
Then they disappear into the shadows…

The pursuers are puzzled,
They search for a while,
Then, seeing no clues,
They retreat.

Finally alone with her life-saving stranger,
She turns to him, looking for answers.

With recognition she embraces him,
Asking him why,
Why would he risk his life for her?

He just looks at her in shock,
And says simply that he loves her.

Pain scores his face,
Realizing his mistake.

It breaks her heart,
To see his beautiful face,
Drawn in, for worry for her.

They silently reach an understanding,

He pulls her close as she breaks down crying,
Unable to bear it any longer.
A broken soul, shunned by all.

He kisses her tears away,
Butterfly kisses on her cheek,
The tears slowly streak down her face,
Etching their way,
Gliding hesitantly down the barren rock of her face,
Hardened with the absence of tears for so long.

She delicately kisses him,
Unsure of herself in the presence of her angel.

They stand, relishing the moment,
A reunion of good and evil,
An Angel and an Imp.

He lovingly inspects the scars,
Running down her arms,
Each telling another story.
He counts them and totals 36.
He kisses them and she cries out,
The pain echoed in her eyes.

He draws back and she cowers in the corner,
Neither of them wanting to spook the other,
They watch each other and wait in silence.

He creeps closer, gaining trust with every step.
He soothes her fears,
as she quakes in the presence of her angel.

He walks her to her home,
A small, dark and cold corner of the alley.
He follows her in, and she starts to protest,
But he doesn’t move, just silences her with a touch.

She gives him a questioning look,
And he answers quietly,
“I’ll never leave you again,
Nothing can happen to you”

She gasps, suddenly feeling hope.
A tiny glimpse of love.

Reviews

[Rick Puetter]

Dear Cocoacandy,

A very nicely written poem. Quite interesting as well. So high marks.

One issue I have with the poem is that I feel dropped into the middle of a larger story with no knowledge of the backdrop to the piece. Is this part of a larger work, or a continuation of some sort? If not, while this piece is very well written, more background would make it more powerful. This only needs a sentence here and there. One other minor issue is the choice of the word "imp". The word "imp" is normally used for a very small demonic creature that is usually under someone else's control, not a tall, strong and independent demon as depicted here.

There are a few technical issues, typos, etc.

First, in the first stanza, I presume you mean "She [s]wears under her breath...".

In the second stanza you say "They’ve crested the corner". The use of "crested" is incorrect as this word is always preserved for coming over a hill, etc., i.e., something that has a crest. A corner does not have a "crest", so it can't be "crested".

The issues listed above are minor, really, and can be easily fixed. However, I was to make it clear that in my view this was a bery well written piece that succeeds in depicting significant emotion. You did a wonderful job of painting a picture of desire and uncertainty. A delicate balance that you navigated extremely well.

This was greatly enjoyed.

Best regards,

Rick

[Sylph Drake]

Very creative. I like the characters.

[Call Me Blu]

This feels like a modern fairy tale horror thriller combo thinga magigy. In less scientific terms, I enjoyed it :)

[Coyote Poetry]

A very interesting poem. Chased into the arms of a love. Can make a good ending to the poem. I like the pace and the ending of your poem. A excellent poem. Action, romance and safety all in one poem. Can't get any better.
Coyote