A bunch of nuns taught me about the Devil once.
They told me he was the enemy of God
and He threw the Devil down into the pits of Hell
so that all of His children would be safe.

(God goes by He
and the Devil goes by he.
This makes a difference.
That's what they told me.)

The nuns told me what the Devil looked like:
tall and broad with hooves like a goat's
and a forked tail
and fire in his eyes.

They didn't tell me
about what he'd do
long before we saw him
how badly he didn't want to be seen
the trail of blood
and the guts he'd leave behind.

The skipping of time like a record
like the needle scratching down the back of my neck
and out through the stomach.

They didn't tell me about the way it would sound when the Devil found me,
or about the way it would feel,
or about the fact that even God couldn't stop him in time.

Even God couldn't stop him in time.