I was thinking tonight–
if there’s an afterlife at all
then hell would be
like this
forever in the driver’s seat
of a van in a winter rain
at night
wipers smearing the windshield
back aching, legs stiff
trucks three times your size
spraying fans of water
in your way
and all the people
you love most in the world
behind you
at your mercy
trusting you to stay awake
to keep them safe
forever in a mild panic
forever worried
then I thought, no.
hell would be
a life right here
with no one
that I ever cared
enough about
to worry
poem (c) 2017 D. Ohlandt
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