Angel in the Attic | Teen Ink

Angel in the Attic

April 8, 2010
By Epsilon PLATINUM, Eureka, California
Epsilon PLATINUM, Eureka, California
39 articles 47 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."


One day I found an angel in the attic.
He wasn't so beautiful, not lying there
His face draped with cobwebs, the
Empty eyes unseeing,
Filmed with dust.
A family of mice had made a home
In his hair, and as I watched
A long-legged spider crawled across
The paper moon of face, stilt-legs
Casting wraithlike shadows,
Mimicking animated life.

Not my stained-glass savior, no,
Finding me and lifting me
Fluidly through the crust of reality
And mis-matched socks.
His bird's wings were curled beneath him,
Dead, and I knew
This swallow would never fly again.
He must have fallen, I thought,
An ember cast from
Above the wisps of dream-clouds;
Now there were only ashes.
So I turned and walked away,
Snuffed out the guttering candle,
And forgot.

The author's comments:
Inspired by the book Skellig. Metaphor for Christianity and religion in general.

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This article has 1 comment.


Charcoal GOLD said...
on Aug. 5 2014 at 5:08 am
Charcoal GOLD, Temecula, California
10 articles 0 photos 12 comments
I caught the reference to skellig while reading it before I even saw the comment you wrote beside it. The imagery is stunning.