To succumb 

to the darkness

on my knees

feeling the cold metal

on my fingertips.

I tilt the bowl

towards me,

feeling the weight

shift.

out of the bowl, 

I sip the 

bitter

heady wine 

of seduction.

taking part, 

being part of 

the evils 

I once preached against.

 

A chill down my spine,

then an eerie rush of warmth.

The gold 

intricately designed

bowl

falls from my hands,

clatters on 

the grey cobblestone floor.

An enormous noise

much bigger than me

and a long-lasting echo.

 

I lay my head 

on the ground

the cold seeping into my skin

my blood turning to ice

my face wet with yesterday’s rain. 

I rest for a spell,

then 

with strength unknown to me 

rise to my feet 

and walk away, 

anew

reborn