Fallen Angel

Dear fallen angel, what tidings doth thou bring
Swept ashore in the ice and rain?
Why in the shelter of thy wing
Do I feel no pain?

Alas even the holy must leave
But say it is not so
That I cannot grieve
To see thee go.

Didst thou sail the surf of prayer
For a lone soul’s despair?
Didst thou find one lost, forgiven
Fair sentinel of the storming Heaven?

Thy shattered halo once so proud on high
Never again to glaze the twilit sky
With the hues of thy harp’s lustrous chord
That sang lullabies to Our Lord.

Angel fair in thy eternal sleep
Canst thou not make me weep
As to the beauty of thy carcass
I lay all orisons with a kiss

And from the night’s sails of cold
Seek warmth in thy wings of gold
On the chill street where I lay my head
A pillow of the consecrated dead?

And the dawn shall find me
A lone specter rotting with thee.