September 15th, 2025
by Jessica Julie Kavanagh
He's the friendly serpent who appears in the darkness,
To persuade you he has never been banished.
It's the lucid red apple that tears from the tip,
When your body and soul feel famished.
He's the man in the desert who seeks deprivation,
Who vows to shift stone into bread.
It's the scream within skulls when all else is silent,
Igniting the flame of the dead.
He's the roar on your shoulder that shatters the cherub,
Whilst you yearn for peace & cessation.
It's the haunting obsession, that subsists within twilight,
Spreading carnage through a frangible nation.
Seeking revenge on the fallen, they hide in Penumbra,
Taking shape in the form of a flower.
We bow blindly to beauty, we form solace at dusk,
Naive to the loss of our power.
When the drab frees the sky, and the roses are weeping,
We lust to break free from the chains.
The ravaging shadows that dwell in affliction,
Hinders the light we were meant to sustain.
About the Poet
Jessica Julie Kavanagh resides in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications
on Jessica Julie Kavanagh's Artist Page.
This poem is included in Poetry World #13,
published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Previously published in Edmonton Poetry Magazine:
Say Her Name
by Melany Mayowski
Edmonton Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
- Visit the main Wax Poetry and Art Submissions Page to see all opportunities.
- Visit the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
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