on Demons and Angels

Posted on January 7, 2018 by C.G.Ayling

A tenet of my personal philosophy is balance in all things.  Throughout our lives we struggle to vanquish our demons, yet I’ve recently concluded we should do no such thing – for it is our demons that drive us and our angels that hold us back.  Perhaps this poem will evoke the essence of my feelings.

~ Demons and Angels ~
~
It is our demons who spur us on
and our angels who put on the brakes.
It is our demons who press us to risk
and our angels who whisper warning.
It is our demons who force us to rise
and our angels who calm us to rest.
It is our demons who scream for excess
and our angels who soothe us to caution.
It is our demons who tell us we can
and our angels who say we should not.
Without our demons to press us onward
our dreams soon race out of reach.
Without our demons present and active
our angels don’t soothe us,
they’re silent
instead.
Without the raging of my demons
I fear my angels won’t show me the way.
I’ve somehow escaped my demons,
is that life I feel slipping away?
~

Please don’t misunderstand the meaning of this post – it has nothing to with good and evil or even with right and wrong.  It is about the forces that drive us and those that encourage us to accept the status quo.  I have chosen to equate the driving forces in our psyche to demons because they aren’t gentle, they don’t ask us nicely – they goad and prod us mercilessly and are never satisfied no matter how hard we try or how much we accomplish.  I’ve equated the forces that hold us back to angels because they praise our efforts while quietly encouraging us to accept our lot without conflict – this is a theme I’m certain you are all too familiar with in all major organized religions.

Be wary of your wishes, Fate might be listening.

About C.G.Ayling

Musing misuser of words, lover of lyrical literature, author, occasional contrary thoughts. An honorable man’s name, in memoriam.
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24 Responses to on Demons and Angels

  1. Sara says:
    January 8, 2018 at 11:20

    Profound. Deep and meaningful, thank you for your insight.

    Reply
    • C.G.Ayling says:
      March 1, 2018 at 11:30

      Thank you for grasping essence where what I wrote were mere words. Thank you for showing me that somebody is out there and cares enough to comment. Thank you.

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