Inferno 2.0 (apologies to Dante Alighieri)
Ciel Downing
In the sulfurous troughs of military misogyny,
I am the pilgrim Virgil wandering unknown territory.
A sergeant with a whiskey lacquered tongue
And absence of conscience or honor
Cornered me in the second Circle of Hell
Where carnal malefactors reap whipping storms,
Then retreated to the Third Circle
Where dwell those who lack self-control
Arbitrarily violating oaths and trust.
One day he will reach the Fifth Circle
And have to pay the Ferryman to cross
The River Styx lest he be boiled alive
For all Eternity—
And won’t he be surprised to see
The Ferryman has been replaced
By me.
Ciel Downing served in the regular army in the early 80’s. Her writing can be found in The Timberline Review, As You Were, Persimmon Tree Journal, Word & Image, The Squid, & more. She has won the Academy of American Poets Prize, was runner up in the Sally Albiso Award & the Elizabeth Lyons Award, received Honorable Mention for the Kay Snow Award & Neahkahnie Mountain Prize, and has published a collection entitled To Walk The North Direction. See more on her website, cieldowningbooks.com.
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