Poem: Child of Darkness

Child of Darkness

© 2010

"Here comes the high and hot Hell storm.

Oh, and here comes Death, bringing its stench.

Ah, but look! There in the red sky! See? Our own wraiths

Are cracking their whips, breaking our backs.

Come, we must follow them down the path,

Paved with sulfur and rotten, musty muscle.  But

Don't give up hope, love. There's plenty of sadism

For everyone. We mustn't let a little mistreatment

Get under our skin. No, that space under our skin

Is reserved for pins and needles only.

Come now, we must go down to the Ninth Floor;

That is, of course, where we are stationed,

Is it not? I hear our bunks are nice and soft,

Lined with broken glass and fresh coals,

Hot out of the furnace. Nothing like crawling into

A warm crib after a long nightshift of mining

Souls. Wait, did you even know that's what we will be doing?

Mining souls. Only the lost ones, of course. God

Wouldn't give up his treasured followers so easily,

Now, would He? No sir, only our very own Evil One,

The Prince of Darkness would take up such an offer.

You see, the way he does his business is--

Now wait just one minute, why are you taking off that

Cloak? If Demon Lucifer sees your image of God,

He'll use your dead body as his towel when he's through with his

Shower of fire! There you go, that's better. Oh look,

We're almost there. Hey, why are you putting those chains

On me, crooked Angel? Take them off! Please, they're burning my skin!

I thought we were in this together! What do you mean

Everyone here is alone? I don't want to be alone!

I don't care if I suffer, but I cannot suffer alone! I need you

Here with me! Please! No, no, no, please don't throw me

Down there! That's a whole lake of fire! I'm a miner, the least severe of

Sinners, remember? What do you mean Satan works alone?

What do you mean I lost my chance? No!

I deserve a second chance! Do you hear me?

I deserve a second chance!"

"No.

The end is here, oh, Child of Darkness.

You are right when you say you

Cannot suffer alone. Nor could my

Begotten Son. I sent Him to earth to die

For you. And although you refused Him,

He did not suffer alone. For I was with

Him. But you have refused Me. Therefore,

You suffer alone, because

I never knew you."