The Black Warrior (Sestina) Poem by Gert Strydom

I never used a incantation, or did lit black candles with fire,
to conjure a demon up or used a familiar object for it to be,
and as a Christian to being involved with the occult I did not aspire,
neither did I draw a circle around a pentagram to be from its power free
and I do not even know where I did invoke Lucifer's hatred and ire
to send me such a demonic being to bring to me agony.

With a smell of sulphur that demon did appear without any agony.
He was about ten feet tall and gigantic in size with eyes redder than fire,
I was paralysed somehow almost swallowed by its pure evil ire
and then I thought this was not reality and this simply could not be.
During national service as soldier before this I was in war from fear free,
I did not know how to survive or how to for a kind of escape from it aspire.

In the residence I had studied late, did for high marks in calculus aspire,
the beach was near and student life was without any kind of agony.
As an adult in my thirties having worked before I was totally free
and this demonic creature pressed the air from me, my lungs burnt like fire,
I smelled my own fear in my sweat, wished for any other place to be,
survival kicked in, somehow my fear turned to astonished ire

but my reason told me to calm down; there would be no victory with any ire
it was clear that for the death of me it did wordlessly aspire.
Black with the body like that of a man with huge hands this thing could not be.
For a moment I thought I saw in its gaze, right at my face, some agony.
Dressed in leather, with armour which was scaled his hands burnt like fire,
I knew that death was near, could not move but I did try to break free.

My past life flashed before my eyes as if I was already from it free.
Although some humans did hurt me to them I did not hold any kind of ire,
neither was I scared of going at a time to hell or of its terrible fire
as in life I had a relationship with Jesus, to be a child of God I did aspire.
Here I was in pain, had great terrible fear, an unknown kind of agony
and it was almost impossible that at a time he could an angel be.

I knew from its evil that demonic it was and could nothing else be.
I did not know how to be from this incredibly ugly and fierce creature free,
somehow spoke out the name of the Lord God and in it then saw agony
as if it was being punished by omnipotent Godly ire
and did wonder why it did from perfection to evil aspire?
Suddenly it did dematerialise into flakes of orange fire.

It did try to bring me agony, demonic hatred and ire
and I wanted to be from its terrible paralysing power free
to escape I did aspire and God did dematerialise it into flakes of fire.

© Gert Strydom