"Road Trip with A Fallen Angel" by Inshal Kabeer
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Illustration by syd danger
Road Trip with A Fallen Angel
He eats sour cream & onion potato chips as if his life depends on it
So I ask him if angels can die and he shakes his head so
slowly I almost swerve off the road trying to catch it
“People like me just get reborn as another sad child,” he whispers,
and the halo I always thought I imagined
glows a little bit
brighter over his matted, oily head
When I turn on the radio, he sings till his voice breaks and then turns to me
small eyes wide, searching for salvation, or Damnation perhaps
and I ask him what angels fear
he smiles, “Nothing, of course,”
But I can feel the breath caught in his throat, chafing against the hot plasticky seats and
fogging up the windows under the empty, open sky
We stop for gas and he stares at the lighters a little
longer than he should, for someone destined to burn (in Eternal Hell)
And he fidgets, slouches, itches in front of the cashier
“Forgive me,” he says, uneasily, back in the car. “Not angry,”
I answer but turn on the windshield wipers for the fiery hail-stones, the lightning-bolts,
the fire n’ the brimstone
At night he sleeps curved into a ball as if he still had wings to leave space for
He snores like a broken steam iron and I wonder what he dreams of
“Naked women,” he lies proudly, staring at the stars
But I know angels don’t leave Heaven for women, plural
He wants to be interesting, this knock-off Lucifer. But all I see is
another broken boy, spat out by the world, with the Ache in his bones
Inshal Kabeer (she/her) is a Pakistani-Canadian writer living on the unceded traditional territory of the Semiahmoo, Katzie and Kwantlen First Nation. Currently studying Neuroscience at UBC with a hope to minor in Creative Writing, Inshal’s wish to see more positive representation of Muslim women in literature led her to pick up a pen and write her own stories. You can follow her on Threads (@_inshal.k).
Syd Danger's (she/her) illustrations are inspired by tarot, folklore, myths, and the unknown. Her work has been featured in Slice of Life, CARDED!, Get Lucky, SNAG, Vancouver Mural Festival, 100 Amigos and more. And yes, Danger really is her middle name. Follow her on Instagram (@syd_danger).
