The Road to Heaven
written by: Aaryan Panchal
“Show me the road to heaven,” I said.
With a slight smirk on his face, he points to a queue so long it resembles a thread.
‘He’ is usually recognized by his dark attire, wielding an axe, or sometimes wearing a coronet atop his head, seated on a bull.
“That girl betrayed him again; my neighbor smashed the glass into his wife’s face.”
My eager mouth can’t remain silent, revealing the sins of others.
My tongue acts as a brush gradually painting a portrait of an idealistic being as me.
Once more, I ask him, “Where’s the road to heaven?”
With a gentle smile, he gestures to the throngs of people ahead of me in the queue to heaven.
Anxious glances at the clock remind me of the little time remaining.
My breathlessness softly screams in my ears, shaking my faith for sure
“But… but… I never did what they did.
It seems unfair to compare a distant melody to an orchestra of silence,”
I said, voicing my thoughts.
“Will this be true for every version of you?” he asked, bringing my belief to its knees.
The clock begins to chime, the vision grows blurry.
My legs cannot bear the weight, even the act is unsteady.
For all the dreams I held were meant to be forgotten by morning.
Contemplating all of this, this time I ask for the way to hell.
With a sly grin on his face, he points at the long queue waiting to get to heaven
Revealing to me that nothing but the long wait before heaven is itself the hell.
- The Road to Heaven - April 5, 2025
