Friday, March 03, 2017

Inferno.

As a citizen of the seventh circle of Dante's inferno, 
I was no stranger to burning at the stake. 
Boiling blood burst inside my veins, 
volcanic waters washed away my sins 
and made me whole again. 

Weekends were spent relaxing 
on a bed of hot coals that charred my flesh, 
as the air filled with the sickening stench of a soul condemned. 
Overcooked, my tenderized skin slid off 
my bones and I let out a whimper. 

Before I could walk, I knew I was headed straight for Hell, 
so I turned up the heat in my bath 
until my body was blemished and blistered.
Whenever my teeth chattered from the cold, 
I doused myself in kerosene then 
struck a match and sautéed my soul. 

Self-immolating here among my fallen peers 
was preferable to the pain I felt over the years. 
The flames begin to falter, reducing me to ash; 
a day's work is over, so I rest my heavy head.

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