Erik Leviathan

I asked God if death was just another room. He said nothing. So I asked the dark if silence was the answer. It opened its mouth and swallowed the moon. I asked the Devil if he knew my name. He laughed and said, You've been writing it on every wound. I told God I was afraid to disappear. He said, You were disappearing long before you came here I told the Devil I still wanted more time. He said, Everybody wants forever when the clock begins to die So I counted every heartbeat like coins I couldn't spend. And wondered which one would be the last one before the end. AFTER GOD TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS Will I still know who I was? Will I hear the Devil laughing? Will I hear the voice of God? When the room goes black and my shadow leaves my side, will there be something waiting AFTER GOD TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS? I asked God if heaven remembers murderers. He said, Heaven remembers everything. I asked the Devil if hell remembers love. He smiled and said, That's where we keep the best of it. I asked them both which one of them was telling me the truth. God went quiet. The Devil pointed back at me. Maybe heaven is the lie we need. Maybe hell is what survives belief. Maybe death is only God turning off the lights so we finally see. AFTER GOD TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS Will I still know who I was? Will I hear the Devil laughing? Will I hear the voice of God? When the room goes black And my shadow leaves my side, will there be something waiting AFTER GOD TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS? I asked God, “Was I good enough?” The ceiling didn't answer. I asked the Devil, “Was I bad enough?” He said, “You always ask the wrong questions.” So I asked myself what I was afraid of. The pain? The dark? The judgment? No. I was afraid that death might be exactly what it looks like. No staircase. No fire. No choir. No throne. No hands reaching down to carry me home. Just one final breath trying to remember what it felt like to belong. And one last thought hanging in the dark: If God made me, why was I so afraid to meet him AFTER GOD TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS Will I still know who I was? Will the Devil call me brother? Will I finally speak with God? When my heartbeat stops and the darkness opens wide, will somebody tell me what was waiting AFTER GOD TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS I asked God what happens when we die. He finally answered. Nothing you can understand while you're still alive I asked the Devil if that scared him too. He said, Of course. Why do you think I'm down here talking to you And then. God turned out the lights