Sleeping with …

I was sleeping with
The devil in a pleasing
Form exquisitely beautiful,
And I was unaware of
The danger I was in.
She was the perfect companion
For a sensuous evening,
Or morning or afternoon,
She wished to be amused
And if I failed,
I would be banished.
We laid together
In each other’s arms,
Many times over time,
And I was deaf and dumb
To the threat that she
Might rip out my heart
With a few words.
I look back and wonder
How I escaped her wrath,
Part innocence and part the
Luck of one acting
From the heart.
And, I wrote poems.
We parted companions,
As we began though
My illusions took awhile
To fade and die.
Now I find myself friends
With that dangerous woman
Who strung me along
Because I pleased her
And who for some
Reason has chosen
Not to sacrifice me
For the pleasure of the kill.
I have learned humility
And caution,
Though I still
Trust my heart
Before my head.
I am now aware,
And, having been
In the lioness’s den,
Seek a less deadly
Place to lay
My head
And heart.