The Mark of Abel

In the middle of a breath
I was stricken
By the first bite of the Beast
To my knees taken
In medias res
Into a world of stasis thrown
All grace of movement gone
My dignity stolen
My destiny known
My spirit sickened in the knowing

A warrior no longer 
No shield of muscle and sinew
No  sword of fire and steel
To save me from God’s violence
I don’t’ run anymore
Barely can walk
Still can talk
The dream of invincibility broken
Hollow echoes to prayers
I no longer believe
Reverberate
In a lonely universe
No one  to hear

A strange labor this
This birthing of a soul
Separation of Mother and Child
From here to Infinity…

Miserere, Domine