Breadcrumbs: A Poetry Collection

Purgatory

When I arrived at heaven's gates,
Saint Peter eyed me up and down
He looked over the scroll of life
His lips curling into a frown

"I'm sorry, I don't see your name"
But why that was, he wouldn't tell
"I'll send you down to Satan,
See if you should be in hell"

So I walked, shaking, to the fiery pits
Blood pounding in my ears
The demon at the reception desk
Could sense my awful fear

"Lost, my dear?" he slyly smiled
And cracked his whip with glee
"Last I checked, sweet girls like you
Don't end up here with me."

"Did you do something horrible
Worthy of eternal torment?"
I shook my head, confused as well
The demon's face went dormant

"There's been some misunderstanding,
Hell's not your place, you know.
I'll call Saint Peter up to see
If heaven's where you go."

"But wait, please" I protested
"From heaven's where I came
They told me there's no room for me
Is this some twisted game?"

The demon chuckled heartily
And said, "Now don't get mad,
But you were one of those rare people
Who was neither good nor bad."

"Heaven can't accommodate
Your lack of noble prowess
But you are far too nice for hell
You'd be devoured, doubtless."

"You lucky little in-between
You'll roam the earth forever
Neither damned nor redeemed
A ghost without a fetter"

And so I left the jaws of death
And found myself returning
To the halls of my old home
My spirit stomach churning

My body long since rotting
Heav'n and hell rejecting me
I guess it's my lot to linger here
For all eternity