So Many Hells
written by: Douglas John Imbrogno
there are so many
hells on earth, we need
no fantastical lake of fire
churned into mind by the ire
of the latest white man to
don ornate red silk and
proclaim you have crossed
his version of ‘God’ and, thus,
are doomed to his version of
doom. But wait, now he has
doffed his white scapular,
for his religion has crashed &
burned again, it no longer
pays the bills as it once did
when he held the keys to its
kingdom. Now, he wears a
suit, a tie, maybe a jaunty red
beret, in his run for earthly power
of a less heavenly sort, but
power all the same and likewise
offering him dominion over all,
the keys, again—to the vault, the
Inner Sanctum, the best view, the
side trip to Paris for the latest
clothes. The balcony from which
—just like he used to—gaze down at
the masses with a bulky silver icon
on a chain round his reddening,
fattening neck. Now, he signs off
his executions and diktats with a
pen instead of an encyclical,
a different sort of holy writ, but
bloody good just the same.
- So Many Hells - July 8, 2025
- Zinnias - June 18, 2024
- Something for Nothing - March 1, 2024
