ROOM MATES

Before they were interns for the Imp of the Perverse

The three angels were not friends; (the Courts of Heaven

Are so vast that an angel set to count its inhabitants

Will never finish even though she has an abacus

Whose beads are as the sands of all the Earths.)

Nor had God willed that chance should unite them.

Still, thrown on their own they proved compatible

And roomed together, commuting each morning

From a boarding house in 1907 to an office

In early 2016. Blaufre had a dueling scar;

She did not like to be asked about it so Glaur

Made up stories about its origin claiming it came

From Blaufre’s time as a musketeer. “Her wings

Gave her away and she was dismissed, but not before

A drunken brawl in which she defeated four soldiers

And an enormous trained rat which spoke bad French.”

Zafriel would smile politely as Glaur’s stories soared

And swooped and got distracted by shiny objects

Waiting for the pause in which he could ask

“Has either of you noticed the Imp of the Perverse

Sometimes resembles God? It unsettles me.”

INTERNS

Since there are an infinite number of angels

Letting many of them go solved nothing;

There were still an infinite number left.

Nor was the problem of finding new work

For vaguely powerful spiritual beings

Skilled at delivering messages and praising

Easy to solve. St. Ursula, who had somehow

Survived the latest round of budget cuts

Along with all eleven thousand of her virgins

-- Each and every one of them a saint as well –

Set up internships. The Imp of the Perverse

Wound up with three angels shadowing him

Noting his methods, which made him nervous.

He found himself tempted to give good advice

To his clients, who had contracted for bad.

“We haven’t been good for you,” said Zafriel;

“Business is down since we came,” said Glaur

(Who had been a troll in a prior dispensation

But had been philosophical on finding himself

Winged and loudly singing Aramaic hymns in praise

Of a God in whom he did not fully believe).

“Yes, what do you need interns for?” said Blaufre

“You’ve managed forever on your own.

By far the wisest course would be to fire us.”

The Imp of the Perverse shook his head;

“Have you been paying no attention at all?”