Ashes to Ashes

That spiteful serpent

called love

bit me on the hand

today

I reached to stroke 

its graceful crown

to intertwine my fingers

with its grand coils

taste the spice of 

summer sands on

it skin.

It turned to me with 

starlight eyes

sweet aromas

and cunning, curling

tongues.

It smiled with seductive

subtlety

and whispered strange, lengthy

passages of scriptures

into my ear. 

And in a moment of 

innocent ecstasy, 

it turned its majestic head

and sunk its teeth into my 

palm

and watched with pleasure

the path of poison

as it traveled like fire

and turned my heart to ash.