My Sins

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I stare in the mirror
the devil stares back
Laughing and sneering
his taunting attack

“I bought you, I own you
now run, try to hide
Your soul has been mortgaged
your spirit is mine”

I run to the yard
and come back with a brick
At the silvery glass
I throw and then kick

The pieces all splatter
and smash on the floor
As a roar can be heard
from the rafters and more

A fire has started
the attic ablaze
With bats in the air
the demon is raised

I reach in my shirt
for the cross round my neck
For my Grandmother’s promise
to preserve and protect …

And the heat that it carries
burns bright in my hand
As I point it aloft
at the horns and demand ...

“A Rosary upon you
return to your cave
My faith is restored
— my sins he forgave”

(Villanova Pennsylvania: May, 2017)