Writing in the Dark of the Year - The Final Session

This, the last week in the course, the prompt was: "Every angel is terrible ..." (Rainer Maria Rilke).

This is what came into my head:

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O Lucifer, star of the morning,
Have we all been tarred with
your gorgeous, careless brush?

You, the one who enjoyed fellowship
with the Almighty!
You let it go to your head, did you -
as a result you hurtled,

the most magnificent peacock,
sapphire and emerald
and onyx and gold feathers
Tumbling 

from the heavens
Cascading 

through the firmament
To land in the mysterious murkiness called
"In the beginning."

Your metamorphosis into 
the loveliest of serpents
in the garden 

made us who watched
from above
regard you with fear and awe.
Michael, Gabriel trying to fill your sandals
shuddered as you were banished
and slithered
away.

Where did you go?

Would human kind now believe
that every angel is terrible?

And so we rallied ourselves.
We organized:
Battalions
Regiments
Brigades
Divisions -
A heavenly host.
Seraphim to guard the holy of holies
Cherubim to protect humankind from themselves
The great princes: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel
And one throne now vacant, O Lucifer,
Star of the morning.

Guardian angels
Earth angels
Hark, the herald angels sing.

An army of goodness.  

Thousands upon thousands of us,
working tirelessly to protect and defend.

And yet, still they're drawn
to you, O Lucifer

Prince of darkness
Roaring lion
Tempter of God Himself -
Terrible, beautiful
Star of the morning

The Fallen Angel

by

Alexandre Cabanel

https://www.culturefrontier.com/the-fallen-angel-lucifer-painting/