This poem was originally published as a Twitter thread. The previous poem, “Seven Deadly Sins IV: Invidia”, can be found here.
Flies swarmed above the rooftops
each cranny and each nook
Their buzzing close to deafening
I couldn’t bear to look
And worse yet was the odor
that rose up from the town
I felt my stomach turning and
could barely keep it down
Still this was almost nothing
to what I soon would see;
The state inside the city
became too much for me
Each surface cloaked in mucus
both putrid and decayed
And people rolled around here
and ate and drank and played
I almost turned around then,
unable to withstand
The scene that played before me
too gross to understand
Then everything suspended
when somewhere further down
the street was heard a calling
to all the folks in town
And just like that the orgy
was cut without ado
And all the soddy people
walked off as if on cue
I followed at a distance
to where they all were bound
And when I saw what called them
I threw up on the ground
For what had called these people
with such a throaty roar:
A bulbous, monstrous creature
phlegm oozing from each pore
And all these fallen people
were gathering for a feast
To feed upon the liquids
that leaked out from the beast
Now nauseous and trembling
I fought a fainting spell
Aware the swollen demon
would take me if I fell
And that’s when I was spotted
and all the eating ceased
As drooling people closed in
as for another feast
The seconds felt like lifetimes
as I ransacked my brain
In search for the solution
to save me from this bane
And when the answer struck me
I shrank back in disgust
But lacking other options
I still did what I must
I grabbed the closest person
and bit into this boy
While putting up the act this was
a culinary joy
And this confused the people
and soon they looked around
And realized their kinsmen were
a feast of flesh abound
A massacre ensued then,
a gluttonous battue
And there amidst the carnage
I stealthily withdrew
The demon lay there waiting
as I drew close to it
He searched for words to sway me
but glut had cloyed his wit
“It’s you who’ve killed these people”
I said and pointed back
“Your gluttonous infection
has led them down this track”
And Beelzebub struck out then
but glut had made him slow
I parried with the crystal
and trapped him with its glow
The flash lit up the city,
reflected in its gore
And when the light subsided
the demon was no more
But all the fated people
lay sprawling in the dirt
Some dead and other dying
and none of them unhurt
I desperately wanted
to aid them in their plight
But duty called me elsewhere and
I slipped into the night
Five demons in the crystal
another two still free
Would I succeed ‘fore madness
could claim the rest of me?
This poem was written in response to a hashtag game series by Marc Tizura/@areyouingrenin. The theme was “The Seven Deadly Sins”, and this day’s particular prompt was Gluttony – Beelzebub. The Twitter hashtag is #tfteotw – go find more flash fiction there! The next part of the series, “Seven Deadly Sins VI: Acedia”, can be found here.
...these grains of sand 