"Inferno" Tribute Part 2

Along my right

there came upon me

a flash of a bright

and pungent light.

Tongues of fire licking

at the door frame.

Here I saw

this pitiful shrine.

Men, I think,of once aggrandizing stature,

now reformed into

a most decrepit form.

Eyes escaping from their heads,

limbs so gaunt, bodies thin,

what once may have been

a noble spine,

now e'er perverted

in unnatural curves.

These beings encircled

a dying fire

sheltering them from

else frigid conditions.

To feed that holocaust

and defeat impending frost,

All manner of things

into the fire they tossed.

When material

could not be found,

they turned to despair,

a point none should know.

Into the fire,

the bodies went,

to provide what little

warmth they could.

Those able

to withstand the pyre,

in futile vengeance,

ensnared their tormentors.

One wretch, upon spying

my observant eyes,

charged at me

with most fright'ning pace.

Slammed I the door

and went on my way,

saved from burning,

at least for today.

Learned I now

a golden rule,

taught by none,

obeyed by all:

Regardless of your

misery,

ready are those

to make it worse.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Aug 2010
About this poem:
I try to capture the vivid imagery that makes Dante's work so timeless, regardless of his then contemporary references that most don't understand without the aid of footnotes.

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