After the Divine Comedy
One day the devil
(Who nowadays is
Only ever seen advertised
On the wall paintings
Of old churches)
Came out into plain sight.
Seeming to taunt the people,
He would stand on one hoof
then the other
And putting his festering talons on
either side of his great scaly red belly
He would roar with laughter and say…
‘Fools you thought that I was invented
by man, when the reverse is true.’
The people then looked behind
The devil into the yawning maw
From whence he came
And saw a great stramash
Between men of different
Style and configuration
All screaming at each other
in the silence that is hell…
‘You now see for what you were
made’ he said
Then from the crowd before the beast
A child of tender years walked
Towards the swaggering demon
And said ‘It is good that I can see
You and take your measure
For now If I take your hand
Which of us will burn?’
© Bernard Pearson
First published in The Melbouren Culture Corner
