I have waltzed
with the devil
Whirling around in a frenzied dance
To the sound of Satan's strident score
Through the eternity of night
I have patted
hell's puppies
As they suckled at their demonic mother's teat
Whimpering softly in their dreams
Of hellfire and destruction
I have run with
the hellhounds
As they slaver at the heels of the damned
Pursuing them through the fiery pits of hell
Baying with the joy of the hunt
I have heard the
wailing of the lost
Screaming with the knowledge of eternal torment
Their souls writhing in elemental fire
That burns more fiercely than any hope
I have seen the
all-devouring darkness
Rise up and swallow all that exists
A bleak blackness that the angels of the night
Can only ever long for
I have known the
loss of all hope
Bound helpless in a futile reality
As dreams of towering 'could-have-beens'
Silently, slowly slip away from my slackening grasp
I have known and
I have been
Trying in all sincerity to justify existence
Wanting to break free from the demon's clasp
Even while knowing there can be no escape