The Devil on the Street

What if I told you,

The Devil was walking the street

That there could be a chance

The two of you would meet

Perhaps you would run and hide

To steal away and protect your life

And would you text your friends,

Or call to warn all of them?

Or rush around to close your blinds

To remove the chance he’d look inside?

Some of you would go to church

Alongside those you love

And say a prayer

To make things right

With the Lord above

Maybe even at the altar

You would kneel

And think

And pray

And cry

And feel

Because the Devil is on the street

Rumor has it he is taking children

Heaven’s Angel now turned villain

Robbing families of precious spouses

Weaseling his way into our houses

Leaving his victims in doorway arches

Or laying cold on backyard porches

They say his name

Is none other than Lucifer

But I’ve heard him called

By many others

Apollyon

Abaddon

Satan

And such

You’ve heard them all

I thought as much

But the Devil is on the street

There is no doubt you two did meet

Maybe not in person as you assume

But his footprints do follow you

You’ve seen his work

Still you wonder ‘How?’

You know his names

But they’re different now

Fentanyl

Heroin

OxyContin

Methamphetamine

The Devil is on the street

Your children he hopes to meet

He will pretend to be their friend

And abandon them

In the end

You’ve read this poem

I pray you understand it

They aren’t just ‘drugs’

They’re a fiendish pandemic