And he said to them,
'I saw Satan fall
like lightning from
heaven. '
– Luke 10:18
The devil was but an angel befallen
From the chastises of heaven
lost the Lord’s favor
Cast down he was, in misery
And misery fell to anyone comforting him
Stripped off his wings, and glory, and beauty
What was once everlasting beauty was now but mere mortal
The devil hath lost his grace
Things change, they say
it’s all but a matter of time and place
The devil was but an angel befallen
and so was mine, soft, beautiful, and graceful she was
For since the day she had held my hand for the first
I knew not pair or fear or shame
Comfort me she did with words and lips and soul
But the pleasures were not meant to last
for soon she became the bane of my existence
foul words, drunken lips, lost soul
I grappled hard to no avail
For she was my angel, and the devil loved me no more
The devil was but an angel befallen
for once it comforted you in the cradles of his arms
mate, companion, brother he was
to leave all sense behind lust and gold
And he rose whilst fell his soul
He traded wings for being able to walk alone
Warm embraces turned into hearts cold
and melancholy rhymes lasted no more
Idols, tales of heroism, God’s gift on my soul vanished
And so the devil lost the favor of those who held him dear
The devil was but an angel befallen
Cared for you in comforts
Praying for your joys,
causing your miseries to vanish
The angel was the Father’s care and Mother’s love
Gone astray, gone wild, smothering with affection
Clipping the wings of the butterfly even before it is born
Or lacing the larvae, to give it more strength
Or simply forgotten, in his own rushes to fly
For the sweetest angels turn the darkest devils
The devil was but an angel befallen
The comforts I bought for communication
enslaved me in my own mind to screens and sounds
The words we used to be set aside for dense moments
now appear too easily without a thought
Too easy it has become, to lose touch and embark a quarrel
Too cheap, to send words meant to be looking in the eye
Commitment lost from the words, the need of making an effort
diminished
Too easy to burn a bridge, too easy to break the deal
What once was meant to enable, has become the greatest
disabler of all
The devil was but an angel befallen
that now lives in mead, cult, and comforts
enslaving us, paying pitiful pennies for pitiful chunks of
our soul
Each diminished that the last, each glowing a little
brighter
For we once did love the glorious being with
cheerful smiles and bright wings
For no devil may cause harm to us, unless we make ourselves
vulnerable
And what good would the devil be, had he not been an angel
And what good would the devil be, had he not been an angel
Vishal Gupta
July 4th, 2015
