you don't often know
that you've trodden through hell
until you're out of it
because
hell isn't always
burning or pain or agony
sometimes instead
it is love and lust and longing
it's not always
isolation or depression or winter
but instead
it's the touch of a lover
who means you harm,
the lies from the malicious
covered in sweet honey
most of the time
your hell is personal
and not a burning flame
rather
it's the devil
disguised as something
or someone
you love