Poem: "The Angel of Informed Consent"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem came out of the February 4, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from SlytherClaw Teen. It also fills the "Bittersweet - Truth" square in my 2-1-20 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by librarygeek and SlytherClaw Teen for all LGBTQQIAA folx.

Warning: This poem contains an interpretation of Lucifer which, while plausible in context, diverges from conventional interpretations and may displease readers who are strongly attached to such conventions.


"The Angel of Informed Consent"


The Devil doesn't make
anyone ever do anything evil.

At most Lucifer just clarifies that
these are your true intentions.

Think about Original Sin,
the temptation of Eve
in the Garden of Eden.

The Serpent never lied:
he only wanted them to have
the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

It was his action that made
every decision meaningful.

Think about the temptation of
Jesus in the long night discussion.

By even the strictest Christian theology,
the self-sacrifice by Jesus wouldn't save
anyone's soul if he didn't choose it willingly.

So Lucifer was just making sure that Jesus
really chose that, with full knowledge.

He is the messenger of harsh tidings,
and the Prosecutor in Divine Court.

This is the bittersweet truth:

"The Devil made me do it"
just means "The Devil
talked about something
I already wanted to do."

So there is nothing to fear
but the temptation within.

And the Devil himself?

Well, you can call a dog
a good dog or a bad dog,
but you can't make it
stop being a dog.

Lucifer, however Fallen,
remains an angel still.

He is the bright spark
brought out of darkness
by the Word of God, and so
the Lightbringer cannot
fail to give enlightenment.

There is no Devil, only
the Angel of Informed Consent.