This is how it begins
The demon flows from
one shape to another-
my first wife
in all her fanged glory
and
a boss who had set me up
to take his fall.
“Do you trust me?”
Of course not
but I’m here for a reason.
He/she sighs and becomes-
a boy from a long ago school yard fight
and
an Other
the monster under the bed.
At a crossroads, midnite,
of course
and
the hoary oaks in the fields around us
drip Spanish moss
and
flex branches like claws
leaning in, listening.
The full moon shines like
a noon day sun, pregnant
with expectations
illuminating everything
except the shadows that lurk ‘round the crossroads.
Bullfrogs and cicadas
give concert, the music
pushing into my forehead
honeysuckle scent
coats my throat
making it hard to breath.
“Bargain?”
It asks
Its true form, my worst nightmare
a lawyer
blood around its mouth
black in the moonlight.
“You know what I want.”
behind a grin with too many
teeth. “What do you want?”