Session With the Devil

Saw the devil once on the hill leading to yore
Stopped him once,
yet he walked on.
So I called louder,
said,
“Hey ,devil!”
Devil turned his face,
faced his fine features towards me,
called me,
“Hey, man!”
I said,
“You’ve been terrible to me this year.
Let up on the suffering kind sir.
I’d like to touch the leaves,
sit and watch sunlight kiss the falls back there,
maybe I can get to smell the ripe mangoes this year.
See, I feel like you’ve been waterboarding me-
and I can barely hold on”

Lighting his cigarette,
he says,
“too many words son, mind giving me just a summary?”
Sighed when I said,
“just please let me catch a break this year, sir?”
Swear I cried when he laughed,
said,
“Son,
your misery nourishes me.
Sorry, can’t grant your wish.”
Would have pleaded some more,
only he extends his arm,
offers a cigarette,
and euphoria is the first inhale of hell’s stuff.
“One more puff,”
I plead-
all sorts of hedonistic thoughts a halo over my head.
I am the rays of the sun when they kiss the spears of water falling over stone.
I am the silk that coats the leaves in spring,
I am the essence of ripe mangoes yet harvested.