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Red, Yellow & Black
I remember a time, prior to coming to this world.
 
A friend told me, he can take me to paradise,
but first we must pass through hell.
 
The sky is pitch black,
blood and worms.
 
A snake wraps around you, 677776669.
 
Mutual indulgences,
burning walls.
Can the guide be trusted?
 
Three female figures appear,
far from pleased, seeking vengeance.
 
Bow before the gate through 6 and 9.
 
Pleasure above all else—
if you want to bathe in boiling pink oil?
 
Across the river,
a forest with no leaves in sight.
 
Tread silently,
fire from the sky.
 
Lay in the sand once past the tree
that used to be a man.
 
Thick mist surrounds you.
A man covered in burns appears—
he wants to walk with you.
 
The end of the stream:
a waterfall,
expression of grief as the abyss appears
 
The beast,
the stench,
the only passage.
 
The sale of a sister,
the seller covered in their own faeces.
 
A magician headfirst in a hole,
so deep into hell with sticky fingers.
 
River of blood,
filled with violence.
Snakes mutate into each other.
 
Entrails dragged along the floor,
torn apart and mutilated—
another circle complete.
 
A well is now formed,
incoherent speech at the bottom of the universe.
 
Another lake,
frozen.
 
4 sections divided:
Betrayal.
 
The banner of the King of Hell grows closer—
 
Lucifer:
red, yellow, and black.

© 2023 Aeris Houlihan

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