Canto 1
As once did Dante who mapped the Inferno
In the mid point of the journey of my life
I stumbled from the straight path
Lost was I once in the city which I resided
And into a forest I walked into
No lights illuminated my way
I decided to turn back
But behold I saw a dog
A ferocious looking beast with insanity in its eyes
So I turned to another path for safety
Yet stopped was I by a wolf
Another path and by a cougar
So I ran into a hole within the rocks
Not a hole but apparently a cave,
Not rocks but what seemed to be a mountain
So I hid until the path was clear, but the beasts did not move
Exploring I into the cave I came across a man
"Are you lost by means of your home"
And I "yes, is there no other way?"
"I know of a path which has been crossed two times
Once on an errand and another by redemption"
I responded "Will you take me? Please, I grow tired"
He said "If I take you, you must put aside all fear,
For this is not a place for cowards to cross, prepare your soul,
Prepare your body, and follow me down here"
So I followed, looking back only once, and having to trust him
Yet I stayed on guard for I felt the oddest presence.
Canto 2
As we went further into the cave,
All light had gone from us
It was as though God had forsaken us
It was as though we had gone to the abyssal ocean
Where no light reaches anymore
I feared taking another step, so I stride slowly on the ground
"Who are you?" I asked
"I am a renowned poet, I was sent unto you by favor of love,
Know this, there is one above who loves you,
Though she shall remain unknown,
She prayed to your God, who sent Michael to look for me,
From the blessed mountain where souls find penance,
For it is because I know the path I take you on
That I have been chosen as your guide" he responded
I said "Love I do not believe in as much as before,
I have no reason to believe in it, but for God is the only Love,
Yet I feel myself slowly loosing myself from Him,
What is your name?"
"I am virgil who lived under the time of the false gods,
So I never knew what the eternal light was like,
Until I was called upon to lead Dante himself"
"Do you mean the Dante Alighieri who went through the inferno?
Who witnessed the torments of hell?"
"The very same. Now quickly we must make haste
To reach the other side"
Canto 3
As I went through the tunnels and out the other side
There was a forest full of dead and smoking trees
Many stumps laid there and burnt carcasses of animals
Then I heard a crowd passing by, crying frantically
Yelling they passed by chasing a red band and stung by hornets
They stumbled onto each other, tripping and pushing
And when one caught the band another appeared and he let go
And pursued the other leaving behind the old
My guide explained "Behold the first of the new punishments, this is not hell
This is a barren place where those who did not decide reside.
They chase pointless things, and when they get them
They leave it for another, pushing others out of their way to get it,
For they realize that their ambitions were hollow.
They could not decide what was for them, so they wander here
Running with no cause or hope of rest for they are chasing and are being chased"
We walked until we reached a cliff, of which I hear laments,
My heart sank and my knees locked in place,
"Virgil you cannot expect me to go down there"
and he said "if you ever wish to reach holiness you must"
With much worry on my face we climbed down
Until we reached the bottom
And near the bottom was a river as black as oil
"Here is the river Acheron, before it was only filthy,
But because of the greed of man it has been tainted further,
Notice the dead animals that reside in it,
Forever a reminder of what greed has caused,
And here Charon, the one who will help us cross,
The damned refuse to accept their fate,
For although their minds refuse, their feet are forced onward
For their feet are designed to accept their punishments
Not their uneased heads.
As for Charon, he is constantly fatigued by the oncoming souls
who by the thousands come in
his boat is a vessel, and his eyes grow lower
representing the weight of the sins of those he crosses"
I looked upon Charon, who looked fatigued
"You there, stand aside from those who are damned,
Virgil unless his soul is as tainted as this river,
He may not pass, for I once let one of yours pass,
And until now I wonder what became of his soul,
Whom I feel was unjustly passed through"
And my guide "Charon I bring another,
Who by Love's grace God has chosen to save,
Let us pass, and to ease your pain,
The other soul was saved"
And Charon, "Very well, young soul know this,
What you see here you will never unsee
Lest by divine favor you shall forget through disease,
Now onward to the final crossing and unto the abyss."
