Angels

Demons can take many forms.

They can take the form of sharp tongues that lash at you, cutting deeper with words than one could with a knife.

They can take the form of a reflection in the mirror that constantly whispers in your ear your worst mistakes, your deepest fears and your worst failures.

They can take the form of a scornful voice in your head, the one that strips you bare to your core and laughs at you, repeating ceaselessly that you will never be enough.

They can take the form of a cloud constantly hanging over you, leaving you in darkness and taunting you with the images of others, those with no clouds above them, laughing effortlessly in the light.

You know demons in all their forms.

And yet, you have never seen the form of an angel.

So you pray to a god, one you struggle to and barely believe in, for an angel.

For an angel who can shed light on the darkness of your mind; one who can help cast your demons away.

Those prayers go unanswered.

* * * * * * * * * *

Her voice is kind.

Tired of waiting for angels, for the first time in your life, you decide to trust someone. A friend.

It’s not easy.

Because your demons are what shapes you. Giving the key to your hell to anyone else is terrifying, to show them the real, shriveled, damaged version of you, the one which you have hidden behind a mask for so long.

You tell her everything.

About all your demons, in all their myriad forms.

She listens. She understands.

She talks. She helps.

She shows you that your demons are not as big as you thought they were, she makes you understand that the everyone else too carries their demons in their heads.

That you’re not alone; that you’re not the only one afflicted with them.

That your demons have grown in the darkness of your mind, fed by your own fear, your insecurities.

She talks about herself, about her own demons.

She puts herself down, refusing to accept the version of her that you see; a gentle, kind-hearted, generous soul, who had made mistakes but who had become so much more because of them.

You try to show her that she is as close to perfection as anything under the sky could ever be.

That she is perfect not because she is not flawed, but because those flaws have made her even stronger, better, more understanding, kinder.

She refuses to accept it but you have finally found what you had been looking for.

You smile.

Your prayers have finally been answered.

* * * * * * * * * *

Angels are ethereal beings of beauty.

They are magnificent, with perfection beyond what the human mind can comprehend.

Or at least so, you thought.

Because you only imagined angels in their heavenly form.

But angels also exist in earthly form, they walk among us.

In their earthly form, an angel can take the form of a friend, a kind voice, a generous heart and a beautiful, understanding smile.

So now you no longer fear your demons as you once did.

Because you now know the forms of both demons and angels, not demons alone.

You know that angels exist, that you have been blessed with their light.

With angels by your side, your demons are no longer as formidable as they once were.

You now have faith in angels.

(Dedicated to the angel who I am blessed and fortunate to call my friend, who helps me fight my demons day after day. Thank you.)