the spell

we watch the sky for miracles and purple kisses,

this universe that hides by day and winks by night

the home of drones and geese, honeymooners

on the fly to coral beaches, and killers far from home.

it's easier that way but less convenient

than the falcon that just flashed across my window

a black and tawny blur that sped in chase of squab

hey, sweet meat, want to be my treat?

a slim and fully ripened woman in a ragged cotton dress,

lit by stars and a candle sheltered in a scavenged

tin can with the top snipped off at an angle

sidled up to me in that poor nameless village.

no cuddling in a nest of thorns, she promised

and whispered something about angry plates

or tumbled toys, circumstance or location?

a catalog of frivolous invention and mad fixations,

spittle-flecked and glittering. later,

with her thighs hugged tight around my waist,

she muttered -i've heard them down there, slowly killing.

it sounds like a puppy being eaten alive.

you see that stain on the wall over there? it's an ear.

spying on my dreams, inserting phantom time,

corrupting the very density and thingness of the action.

in the morning she was gone, one dark hair left on the pillow

and a pale smear on the sheets, where tears

and seed had met before we slept,

each entwined in dreams that never met.

hers were lost in a swirl of bees and wasps,

mine a storm of pollen in a cloud of soot

eclipsing memories of snapdragons and hay lofts.

I stood naked at the window gazing,

is that a trace? where the grass is kinda different?

a barefoot trail that bent the tender blades

where fog had kissed the lawn?

the garden gate agape, sagging on it's hinges.

I'll wait, I thought, perhaps she's only gone to fetch

some bakery treats or coffee, this town's unknown to me.

her shack is bare, unused to a lover's company

just the skinny cat, that rubbed and begged

for the kibble that she dribbled into a pie plate

the night before. was this beast her familiar,

and she herself, a succubus who lured me to her lair?

my back began to itch, high up where I could not see the spot.

had her clever midnight fingers scratched a claim

upon my spirit to spawn a clutch of demon children?

I turned toward the rumpled bed on the floor against the wall

and caught a dusty reflection in a cancerous mirror

beside the window, a rough and reddened pentagram

etched between my shoulder blades, that faded as I stared.

did I imagine it, in this morning's groggy haze?

her clasp had felt like passion in the hunger of my daze,

a purple-headed stupor, the perpetual gush and spew,

until the dues demanded by that tyrant of the flesh

passed down from frogs and mice was spent.

on the floor beside the humped and dented mattress,

the burnt down stubs of five black candles sat

in a pool of congealed wax studded with the delicate bones

of some small creature. had we dined on baby birds

roasted over the flames? I could not remember but

I hoped it wasn't bats. I heard soft singing coming up the path

and turned back to window and saw her strolling through the grass,

a tattered plastic shopping bag dangling from one hand.

the glow of apples showed dimly through the sack

as it swung gently, keeping time with her soft song

in a tongue I did not understand. she saw me at the window

and flashed her dazzling teeth, a knowing sparkle in her eyes.

something slithered off into the brambles

as she reached the door.

good morning, sweet man, she breathed. did you sleep well?

I've brought you some apples to break your fast.

I'll bet you're hungry. I like a man with appetite.

in fact my stomach growled in answer and

she tossed her silvery laugh up at the rafters overhead.

my naked condition could not conceal the embers

once more enflamed by that enchanted sound.

-perhaps you'd like to wait a while to eat, she purred

and slid up close to me, dropping the apples

to roll and rumble across the slanted floor.

with a warm strategic hand she led me to the tousled bed.

you know, I said, this is embarrassing,

but I don't remember your name. -really? she snickered,

I'm surprised, you moaned it often enough last night,

so I guess I better make sure you don't forget it

for the rest of your life, she softly growled

as her threadbare dress fell from her shoulders

and puddled around her feet.

she leaned close to my ear and whispered,

her forked tongue, snakelike, lightly brushing,

flickering and teasing,

it's Lilith, my dear, remember?