Artist painting
Erratic strokes
Devil on his shoulder
Guiding the hand
Playful smile
One more stroke
Go faster,
Get that corner,
Deeper
The artist puts down his brush
Covered in a red ichor.
The devil stares at the artist
Yet the artist stares back
At his devilish companion.

Sorry old friend,
I missed the finishing stroke.
Looks like we’re going to
Try again some other time