For Lady Lamia

[Brian Roberts]

For Lady Lamia

Latent Lamia,
As nocturnal demon,
Devouring monster
Queen of Satan’s Legion:
How lush is thy black hair?
And loathsome thy long tail,
So lurid is thy lair.
Yet ghostly,
Yet lavishly,
Yet flawlessly
A vampire
So lingering,
Near, near hearth’s fire
Lost inside her spell,
A libel shall I tell
Of Latent Lamia
As nocturnal demon,
Devouring monster
Queen of Satan’s Legion.
Whose laugh is so shrill
Not lacking ill will
Like a fox she kills,
Language of lies,
Loud are her cries,
Large are her eyes,
No mind of gladness,
Lemur of madness,
League of sadness
None but the Devil
Could be so evil
As Latent Lamia,
That nocturnal demon,
Devouring monster
Queen of Satan's Legion.

I was floored by this.....the dichotomy of "How lush is thy black hair" and "And loathsome thy long tail," and the very title suggests a veneration and seduction. I loved "Lost inside her spell/A libel I shall tell/of Latent Lamia." Quite powerful, and a joy to behold. Thank you for sharing.