My Visit with the Devil

by Brianna Barberi

Awakened by the sounds of despair and longing,
The air thickened—pulling me deeper into an abyss,
Multiple heads—their eyes piercing into my blackened soul,
Peeling back layers—exposing the rotted flesh, I wonder.
Not alone but no one present,
All of my senses stimulated—I am desperate.
It then entered. A smoked fog of sadness and internal destruction,
It reeked of rot, of lies, of disease.
My mind filled with questions that made no logic,
I could not make out the words—backwards,
Everything rushing in—mass confusion.
I can see this is what it wants,
It feeds off the pain that streams through my veins,
The ache my heart feels as it pumps deeply into my chest—a heartbeat that can be heard throughout.
Death is what I yearn for—to not feel this torment,
This is eternal damnation.
Death is what I long for—no more pain,
This is punishment—this is judgment.
Death is what I ask for,
I will never be released from this endlessness.
Forever here with the uninvited,
My visit with the devil.

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Brianna Barberi is a 37-year-old published author from New Jersey. Her poetry collection book, Echoes of Me, can be purchased worldwide by Austin Macauley Publishing. Her poem, “A Wish for a Wish,” was featured and can be read in the Poets’ Choice book, Desires.