Dante Competition: 3rd Place

Here is what they don’t tell you.

The fall from grace isn’t a slope but a cliff

One wrong step, gone forever

One shift of the wind and you’re out of time

It’s biting cold, the way down

Wind ripping past your cheeks and slicing your ribs

Darkness grasping for your fingertips

And it doesn’t take long, not really

You slip, you’re pushed, in the end they all drown

In the ravine’s long lost river of used-to-be-mine

Here is what they don’t tell you.

The fall from grace isn’t an excommunication, but a rebellion

One stray thought leads to another

One shift of the stars and you’re down for the count

It’s searing, the betrayal

Pain seeping in your bones and nesting in your heart

A tinge of red in your vision

You tell yourself it’s fine, really

You ignore it, you’re consumed, in the end they all succumb

To the inferno bursting at the seams of the decline

Here is what they don’t tell you.

The fall from grace isn’t gentle, or even consolidating once you reach the end

One choice, this is what you get

One shift of the shackles and you’re back under water

It’s curious, the landing

Salt blinding your eyes and stinging your burns

Caution thawing around your freedom

Because that’s what it is, really

You discover, you’re shunned, in the end they’ll all see

Why fly for the sun when a sea of knowledge reflects a greater shine

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