The devil won’t allow
uncertainty.
A bodiless sleep
for your little boy, for his
handheld head.
His blood no longer
his, no longer yours,
his blood a
nothingness, a blessing of
sand.
The mouth agape
censors itself, disavows
its gentle curse.
The hands
alone in their gathering.
Empty hands, their sky blue
reach, the monotonous
scream of sacrifice.
Sue Ann Simar has most recently published in Voices from the Attic, the anthology affiliated with the Madwomen in the Attic workshops from Carlow College. She also has a poem in the current issue of Backbone Mountain Review. Sue lives in Morgantown, WV and works in the healthcare field.