The 10th Circle of Hell
A little known circle
I am convinced there exists a tenth circle of hell,
not for the wicked,
but for the wounded.
For the depressed,
for the fractured,
for those carrying pain
like a knife in the chest.
A tenth circle,
reserved for the anti-social,
for whom a smile
splits the face like a fissure in dry earth.
This tenth circle is the particular damnation
of sitting still,
aching,
and hollow
while someone fills the air
for thirty minutes,
about their trip
to Disneyland.
About the Creator
Sandor Szabo
I’m looking to find a home for wayward words. I write a little bit of everything from the strange, to the moody, to a little bit haunted. If my work speaks to you, drop me a comment or visit my Linktree
https://linktr.ee/thevirtualquill
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Comments (4)
I like this and I have read Dante, but I am convinced that Disneyland is the tenth circle of Hell.
Yooo this is awesome. I wasn’t expecting the last line even a little bit, and that definitely shifts the whole poem, but it’s legitimately outstanding from start to finish. “For whom a smile splits the face like a fissure in dry earth”…. Wow. What a word combo :) That’s gotta be one of the most evocative lines I’ve read in a while. Makes me think the smiler is smiling because they feel they must, so it’s dry and forced. But it also makes me think that the person who sees a smile when they’re not happy themselves may be too weighed down to rejoice at such a thing. I feel I’ve been there. Excellent work man! When I read this and put my own interpretation on it I pick up a balance of social critique and self deprecation— where I might be annoyed by someone’s excessive bragging about some fancy trip or other, but under that valid annoyance there’s still the need to be polite and simultaneous awareness that I should really try to just be happy for them. Great poem. Short but thought provoking
Oh, that last line zinger!😍
lol didn't know where you were going with this but I loved it.