Afterlife

A Villanelle

by Cristina Nehring (October 2024)

I checked the clock and wandered through;
The gates of hell were open wide;
I kept on going through the flames that grew.
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It was my moment; my lover could not be replaced by another so true.
He preceded me through those notorious gates
I checked my watch and wandered  through.
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I knew I was early; I was happy to queue
To see him ahead, my heart’s costly core;
I just kept on walking through the flames that grew.
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He was a quarter century older than I, I knew;
I feared for his passing each hour most days,
But when he traversed those damned gates, I checked my clock and I followed him through.
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My beloved, I need you:
Let me find your burnt hand
I just kept on walking through the flames that grew.
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Never in the afterlife could I eschew
Under any conditions my passion for you,
Which is why I checked my clock and wandered through
To hell with you. I kept on walking though the flames that grew.
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