angel's rain

His face was uplifted like that of the enlightened,
The sun-kissed light lit his profile aglow, like the birth of a star.

It was weird weather, weather of change.
Hurricane skies and still rain, unmoved by wind’s breath.
This rain is like velvet, he said.
Soft, like a lover’s caress.

His eyes were shut,
His eyelashes colored charcoal on his golden complexion.
A picture of religion,
Angel reveling in the wonder of nature.
How could I tell him the truth?

This rain is my punishment. The small drops
Like bullets, fists against my cheeks.
They drip like poison, blood down my neck
Curling around my collarbones, macabre jewelry, then down
Down to stain my shirt dark,
Will it ever dry?