the Archangel
with the power to heal,
hovers over the roof
of my house.
He’s been up there
since you left.
I went to a Catholic school.
I tell myself
my guardian angel
was happy to be reassigned.
Raphael keeps my house
safe inside,
me & the dog tame,
neither of us going feral.
My dog lies
like a pile of clothes
on the rug in front
of the hearth
where you & I cast
our shadows & glistened;
where later, alone,
I felt laid bare to the heavens,
roofless,
looking into the void,
but much less so now,
Raphael perched
on the chimney,
the sparks like stars.
