Envisioning Hell Poem by Jonny Brackney

2 figures
drag me
through the gates
following something
cloaked with darkness.
i suppose the 2 things dragging me
are demons.
they do not look as people imagine.
much worse. they simply look like humans.
but they have no facial expressions or features.
no eyes. no teeth. no nose. no emotions.
just a pale outline of a face in a dirty robe.
they have no soul. they breathe heavily and moan.
somewhat like you'd imagine a zombie.
i can see that they will feel nothing,
no matter how much i cry or plead.
beyond the gates i am pulled
through a cave-like tunnel.
cold and wet.
incomprehensible whispering.
we enter the first section.
my eyes flood
with blacks and reds
nothing vibrant.
nothing bright.
just a dark room
with a red glow.
cracks on the wall bleed the
dullest orange.
heat leaking from them, stinging hot.
shadows everywhere.
in a corner, i see a man
he is chained to a stone
facing up.
an fat man wearing a collar
hovers over the man on the stone,
vomiting onto him.
into his mouth
and eyes.
i want to, but cannot look away.
they drag me on.
i realize i am naked
and my flesh is burnt
and bruised.
the ground is hot,
scolding my skin.
the smell of vomit lingers,
and my own burning body.
the pain is real.
it is not like a dream.
i breathe hard.
my mouth is dry,
with tremendous thirst.
i start to scream for help
but my throat is raw and stinging
and i know there is no help here.
an evil swelling, throbs
from the walls.
the feeling of utter helplessness,
fear,
hate,
sadness.
an aching in my heart.
i try to imagine what i've done
to deserve this.
but my memory is an empty hole.
it hurts to try and remember
anything from my previous life.
i see a woman tied to a post.
she is pretty, or i can tell that she
was.
children swarm around her.
some of them stab her with sharpened stones.
others throw rocks or kick her.
the woman does not scream.
i can see that she has been here long
and has given
her last scream,
i know all of her tears
have already
fallen.
as i pass,
one of the children turns to me,
what seemed a little girl before.
i now see, it is not a child.
thin black hair.
eyes are gone.
skin cracked like rust.
it hisses at me and throws a rock.
the stone hits my ribs and
the sharpest pain runs through me.
the dragging demons force me to
roll onto my stomach,
it has not yet been burned.
they continue to pull me
through another dark tunnel.
there are cracks in the wall
pouring heat into the air
making it difficult
to breathe.
my eyes sting with tears and sweat.
i wonder if they will drag me forever-
the ground cooks my stomach.
i see my fresh trail of blood
following behind.
light from the fire in the previous section
begins to fade as they take me
deeper into the tunnel.
it becomes pitch black.
the darkness is not like any
i've experienced before.
the heat turns to cold...
the coldest i've ever felt.
a wind blows lonliness.
and i begin to sob.
there is no love here.
that is the scariest feeling of all.
i start to pray, apologizing.
but a pressure builds in my head.
i try to think of Jesus, but i can't.
my heart feels empty.
i have no kind emotions.
sadness and anger
stir throughout my body
when i try to think of a
God who could
save me.
i keep praying, though it hurts
and the prayers are meaningless.
i try to mean them
but they are hollow.
my soul is drowning in evil.-
the echo of wailing and
clanking metal
begins to grow
as they pull me toward the next section.
the heat returns more powerful than
before, excruciating.
there are insects
crawling all over me,
some in my ears and nose.-
i hold my breath
and try to calm.
my heart pounds,
the fear is tremendous.
as the screams grow louder
i call out to Jesus.
he appears to me.
his eyes are filled with sadness
as he stares into my soul.
i reach for him. repeat his name.
and realize
he doesn't know me.