Crouched

by kitkat6020

A poem that I wrote about Dante's Inferno. Set in the Wood of the Suicides, it's about a soul trying to escape their pursuer. If you haven't read the book, you might not get it all, but I still like it and I'd love to know what people think of it. Graphic

First up: I do not own the Inferno, or any part of the Divine Comedy, but Mr. Alighieri is looooong dead, so I hope he doesn't mind.

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I wrote this poem while reading Dante's Inferno. It's based on the 7th Circle (the violent) and is set in the Wood of the Suicides. It's speaking from the perspective of a profligate being chased through the woods by dogs (if you've read it, you know what I'm talking about, and if you haven't, well, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless). Anyway, I really liked this poem and I wanted to see what other people thought of it.

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Crouched

On the barren forest floor,

Heart pounding,

Legs aching,

Fear pulsing through every vein.

I hear their distant

Baying

I hear the pounding of their

Many footsteps

I hear the screams as they

Catch

Another victim

But they come for me

I run.

Above,

I feel the false wind

Beat

As the unnatural nestlings

Unfurl their

Monstrous wings

My pursuers,

Attracted by the

Sudden sound,

Alter course and

Quicken pace

The brittle boughs

Whip past,

Scratching face,

Body and limb.

Screams erupt

As the branches

Break

And behind

I hear the

Howl of

Canine triumphant.

I feel the crunch of

His jaws on

My spine

As I feel

Another

Tear from its joint

My hand and my arm.

I feel the dark pack

Consuming my

Flesh

When they are

Sated,

I am

Rent.

I awake in darkness,

Yet again,

The primal call

Sounds

From through the

Undead

Trees.

The chase begins,

I run.