Take Care

Take great care
When opening
The door to hell.

There will be a surprise
Awaiting you.

There will be no blow-back.
No scream of interred souls.
No acrid stench of decay.

Rather
You will find warm welcome
And the most gentle of arms
To receive and accommodate your visit.

You will be afforded the dignity
Of a visiting head of state.
All the finery of hell will be yours.

And you would return
To call a liar every cleric
That formerly warned you
To take great caution.

That is…
If you could return.

But that is impossible.

Hell’s gentle arms are a prison
Its dignity a farce
Its finery gaudy and pitiable.

Perhaps Dante was right after all.
Perhaps Hell has digressive chambers
The first a parlor.
But every step from that is one
Into endless
Spiraling perdition.

Take care.
Do not knock.
It just may open for you.