The Devil Came to Tea

On a cold and ashen Wednesday
The Devil, he came to tea
At just about four, a quiet knock
So, I went to see

Who waited was a dark young man
Dressed crisp in coat and hat
His hand it held a calling card
What could I make of that?

But stand aside and welcome him
This man of wealth and taste
I took his hat, I took his coat
To the table, I moved in haste

I saw that my guest was seated
Then busied with the things
The fire did thrash on the hearthstone
The wind in the chimney, did sing

Frowning, I laid the linen
My finest silver and plate
I filled his cup, then poured my own
Then sat back to wait

The Devil took honey in his tea
He took butter on his bread
He settled in, smiled, and spoke
And this is what he said

“You welcome me, oh Adam’s son,
“You neither flinch nor hesitate.
“Ask of me, now what you will
“The hour is growing late.”

The wind did rattle the windows, then
He took a long slow sip
“Would you pass the cream?” I asked
His cup, it tumbled from his grip

Abashed, the Devil stood
Cursing the mess he’d wrought
Fumbled a bit, then caught himself
And stood as though in thought

“Have you no desire, oh Adam’s Son?
“No secret that you wish filled?
“Have you no dream of lover lost,
“No enemy you’d have killed?”

I considered this a moment
The sky shook as thunder rolled
I offered him a plate of sweets
“Angel food, how droll.”

“A curiosity, sir, and nothing more.”
Said I, righting his cup and plate
“Why tempt man so to evil deeds?
“Why drag us towards this fate?”

The Devil took up his coat and hat
Moved swiftly toward the door
“No, my dear, Man damns Man
“I am but keeping score.”

• On Saturday, April 5, 2008, A Better Way To Die (265) wrote:
  
  LOL! This still rules! I keep reading it...
  
  
• On Wednesday, November 21, 2007, Wolfaerie (100) wrote:
  
  Narratives are my favorite. I was wondering how this would end and your last line blew me away; it was perfect. Your dialogue and flow work beautifully. I love the shift in power between the devil and the narrator. Amazing!
  
  
• On Monday, September 10, 2007, ThirdAuthor (10) wrote:
  
  Damn, now ain't that fucking awesome? You're good, way good.
  
  
• On Sunday, September 9, 2007, anakronistik_me (31) wrote:
  
  i must have read it ten times over. love it. absolutely love.
  
  
• On Thursday, August 16, 2007, Reefer_rave (185) wrote:
  
  ouch... excellent
  
  
• On Saturday, August 11, 2007, MelvinOliverDrauma (496) wrote:
  
  very good, very good
  
  
• On Saturday, August 11, 2007, What Limes (119) wrote:
  
  where in the blue hell did this come from, and why am I just now reading it? Bravo, brother. Bravo.
  
  
• On Thursday, June 21, 2007, Mylissa (1128) wrote:
  
  Love it!!
  
  
• On Thursday, June 14, 2007, Moonflower (431) wrote:
  
  i very much enjoyed this.
  
  
• On Thursday, June 14, 2007, Alanarchy (1483) wrote:
  
  Great story. Great characters. and your phrasing was good. Nice work.
  
  
• On Thursday, June 14, 2007, Hidayah (135) wrote:
  
  Oh. What a surprising post. I rarely get to read such a poem. Brilliant, humorous and perfect rhyme. I really like this, I do.
  
  
• On Thursday, June 14, 2007, The Zebra Warrior (2209) wrote:
  
  harks back to almost Victorian ghost story telling with a flowing but simplistic meter...very enjoyable little jaunt, nice one
  
  
• On Thursday, June 14, 2007, Spiral Downward (407) wrote:
  
  I liked how you mixed story-telling and opinion, mixed with a tad of humor! Very Nice!
  
  
• A former member wrote: Brilliant. I love the truth you conveyed through this. We can blame things for our wrongdoings but in the end we are responsible for our action. Great write.