Darkened Angels

Honourable Mention - Fiddlehead's Annual Literary Contest

Darkened angels hover above me
They are penetrating light
I am quiet as a mouse
For my soul reject they might

Ground is shaky, curtains flying
My starving mattress swallowing me tight
My lamp is blinking, my windows breaking
My darkened angels are no longer in my sight

The muscle in my chest is talking loudly
The wretched water from my skin shows up as sweat
The nails break on my reaching fingertips
The salty liquid from my eyes is making my chin wet

I welcome this horrific, tender agony
It welcomes me towards its suffocating walls
I say hello and bow towards my frightening savior
He snickers at my figure in its unexpected pose

I have accepted my own destiny; it glares at me I am so close
I feel relief; I’m born again, at last my soul will be forgiven
The audience is still amused by my unfettered, dreadful prose
I feel ashamed, towards my death, towards these words, I’ve driven

by Elizabeth Kotcher

Email: leezakotcher@yahoo.com

Commentary:

This poem is about forgiveness, its about knowing and truly understanding that you may have hurt someone and the poem acts as a punishment because in those brief moments you are feeling your punishment, its tormenting waiting for forgiveness and even when you receive it sometimes the guilt makes you crumble anyway. This is why it’s called darkened angels, angels are a symbol of light, a creation of god, forgiveness and truth, but your soul and your guilt darkens them.

Even though they are ready to accept you and forgive you, you have to forgive yourself first.