When the devil brings him,
like a Christmas puppy,
examine his downy fur & smell
his small paws for the scent
of sulphur.

Is he a child of hell?
O clearly those soft brown eyes
speak volumes
of deviltry.
O surely those small pink teats
could suckle witches.
O those floppy ears
hear only the devil's hissing.
O that small pink tongue
will lick & lick at your heart
until only Satan may
slip in.

A fuzzy white dog?
Name him Catch.
A little black kitten?
She is Jamara.
A tiny brown rabbit?
Call her Pyewackett.

Beware, beware--
the soft, the innocent,
the kingdom of cuddly ones--
All these
expose you to the jealous tongues
of neighbors' flames,
all these
are the devil's snares!

Familiars familiars--
there is hellfire lurking
in the softest fur,
brimstone in the pinkest tongue,
damnation everlasting
in a purr.

© Erica Mann Jong

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