The First Circle Of Hell

Welcome to hell.

No fire? No brimstone?
Not quite.
Look deeper,
take off your brave face
and remember how much it all hurts.

That last kick when you're down,
those hearts that will never ache for you,
the dreams you can never quite reach.
Small victories make for lousy hallmarks
once your heart no longer beats the same.

Down one broken path or another,
we all meet at the same unanswerable question,
what is there to live for?
Some may say family,
others may cry love,
but I tell you, this cannot be living.

To live to suffer is not a life at all,
it is but a cruel joke
that just gets harder to laugh at,
as you wait for your next disaster to strike
and that sting to return to your eyes.

What we did to deserve this,
God only knows.
So, close your eyes,
put on your best brave face,
and cling to what you hold dear.
Within the storm of sticks and stones
hidden deep, there may be a life after all.