Purgatory

 

Took the long walk through purgatory,

souls around me screaming.

Lonely echoes of old moans.

Only I can make this journey,

alone with tired bones.

Along this aching path,

snaking through my history.

Past every mistake,

every cruel hand of fate.

To find what awaits

as I lay my hand on the exit gate.

 

I took every memory in my stride.

Saw so many missteps,

cracked pavements,

I've tripped,

slipped and lost self-respect,

but some moments that brought pride.

I took routes I never expected to find, 

pathways through sharp bramble bushes,

blood encrusted.

 

I took every turn in the winding pathway.

Every narrow vein through this figure of decay.

Every airway and artery I travelled,

like a blood cell through this body unravelled.

Saw each synapse collapse

and my life light flicker out

at every footstep into the past

and each moment of self doubt.

 

I saw seven layers of hell

beneath my feet,

I watched demons give beatings.

I saw arms outreached,

begging for relief

but there was no peace.

 

I took it all in,

every sin

every loss

every win.

I expected I had hell to pay.

There was no way I'd get to meet my judgement day

without a few beatings along the way.

But I never expected to be told to return from whence I came

although I'd walked this path of flame,

my time was not yet up

and I woke again,

my feet aching 

and my lungs full of soot.

 

 

Thanks for reading,

Peace, Love and Poetry

Kyle