Winged-Woman
by Raquel Dionísio Abrantes
The alder moon echoes vows made by lovers
with the icy air on their lips.
Such oaths seem impossible to shatter
briefly illuminated by an otherworldly belief.
I fly, as a winged-woman, amidst the crows--
soul guardians upon fields of moss and skeletons.
Which ones to carry when purgatory is occupied?
The girl camouflaged in the fog curls up in her lament.
I lift her chin and my wings shelter her from the blizzard
raging inside her dainty cranium.
I murmur my incantation, my quiescent song.
She inquires of me, “Are you my dark angel of abyss-like eyes?”
with the icy air on their lips.
Such oaths seem impossible to shatter
briefly illuminated by an otherworldly belief.
I fly, as a winged-woman, amidst the crows--
soul guardians upon fields of moss and skeletons.
Which ones to carry when purgatory is occupied?
The girl camouflaged in the fog curls up in her lament.
I lift her chin and my wings shelter her from the blizzard
raging inside her dainty cranium.
I murmur my incantation, my quiescent song.
She inquires of me, “Are you my dark angel of abyss-like eyes?”
Raquel Dionísio Abrantes is a Portuguese poet, word witch, and writer. She has a bachelor's degree and a master’s degree in Cinema from Universidade da Beira Interior. Raquel gave a Master Class in Writing of Scripts about Narrative Structure. Her writing has been published by literary journals and magazines. More about her work can be found on Instagram, @woodland.poem.