.
                              
                               
                              ­__
                               |          |
                               |          |
                               |          |
                               |          | 
                               |          |
                              /              \
                            /                   \
                          /                       \
                        |        X X X       |
                        |                         |
                        |                         |
                        |                         |
                         _____/

.

.
                                    P
                         ­ a       a w        a
                         w       n P          w
                        n         a w           n
                       P           n               P
                       a          P   a            a
                       w        w   n           w
                        n        P     a          n
                          P       w  n          P
                           a         P           a
                             w      a        w
                               n     w     n
                                       n

.
                                    m
                         ­  a      a t       a
                         t         em         t
                        e         a  t          e
                       m          e            m
                       a        m   a          a
                       t         t      e          t
                        e       m    a         e
                         m      t    e        m
                            a       m        a
                               t              t
                                      e

As a child,
I had heroes,
Also known as childhood heroes,
But then I grew!

Now in adulthood,
all my heroes have been found wanting!

If only I could return to my former hood!

I speak not of the place where the walls are stained,
Where souls find relief on the pavement instead of a home,
And where the metropolitan noise is much like ***** music from the sanctuary!

No!
I speak of innocence, incorruptibility, probity,
And a playfulness unadulterated!

There! That!

There is where I want to be!
That is what I want,
Not only for me,
But for my family!

Hell will be a waiting room
You’re sitting in an uncomfortable chair
With dingy magazines five months old
The couples on the covers have split
Someone has already torn out the coupons, filled in the quizzes and crosswords
Twelve letters across another word for your damnation?
The answer scrawled out in red ink
Anticipation
Waiting for the news that is never going to come
Waiting
That anticipation is worse than the diagnoses
You could have five months to live this afterlife
Five weeks
Five hours
You could drop undead in the middle of that waiting room
Where no one would do a ******* thing
Because God doesn’t dwell down here
Here the devil is king
And then it begins again
A different waiting room
The same dingy magazines
Except this one smells like a dentist’s office
You’ll just sit
Wait
The walls read
If you have been waiting more than fifteen minutes please notify the receptionist
Alert staff if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms
HAIL SATAN
Thank you for not smoking
No smoking
No talking
No texting tweeting or reading
Waiting
Just Waiting
In this ***** dusty hell of a room
Please take a seat
A nurse will call you to the back shortly

I layeth mineself
Down to rest;
I sinketh deep
In mine Jane's chest.



©Brandon nagley
©Lonesome poet's poetry
©Earl Jane nagley dedication