Angel

One night I had a dream that left a tale to tell.
I dreamed I saw an angel, poor thing she wasn't well.
Her body was bruised and battered; her wings were ripped and torn.
I saw she could barely walk; she seemed so tired and worn.
So I walked right up to her, and asked how all this could be.
She turned and took a ragged breath, then spoke these words to me...
"I'm your guardian angel, a great task as you can see.
You have run muck all your life, and look what you have done to me.
The bruises are from shielding you from time of dire ill.
The drugs you have used so carelessly, I've paid for you that bill.
My ripped and torn wings, they're a noble badge I wear.
They're flown you away from danger when you were unaware.
Each mark has its story, of a wasted life you destroyed.
You've made me wish so many times, that I was unemployed.
My only wish is that you can make it, standing on your own.
But please my child do not fear anything, because with me you're never alone.
I'm here to watch over you until my powers fail.
And you're making it so much harder on me, spending half your life in jail."
I could not believe what I'd seen, let alone what I'd heard.
That's when I woke up from this dream, and wept from what I'd learned.
When life kicks me in the teeth and I wonder why I try.
I sit back and think of that dream, when I heard my angel cry.

BY SEAN STOELTING