Meaningful Angels

aere qui credas posse hanc cohiberier ullo 

It’s a good question,

But the religions—

Although mistaken

In their insistence 

That the soul will hold

Together, post skull,

Post bones—have a point,

Or at least a fact,

Deserving credit—

Souls come from the air,

From language in air,

And can hover there

Before and after 

Any living host.

If not immortal,

They are external,

Mostly very old,

And not dependent

On the flesh, except 

In the collective

Persistence of breath.

Souls are, after all,

Capable of flight

And long withdrawal 

To songs, caves, and books.

Souls are the angels

Of whom speaking spoke.