A Choice Of Hells Poem by Raj Dronamraju

The hell I didn't choose gave me nothing in exchange for eternal torment
Was punishment without benefit
Was confrontation without end

The hell I didn't choose presented itself as duty and sacrifice
As a societal norm
As something you shouldn't complain about

The hell I chose will kill me in the end but for now gives me brief shots of happiness and I crave the fix
Peace doubly and triply magnified until it becomes a monstrous, demanding caricature

The hell I chose produced a version of happiness that was bad for me
That became foul habit
That was a crutch for the stress disabled

He said I wish everyone could just get what they want
And he had this printed out on bumper stickers and on balloons
And some people repelled simple contentment with enormous expectations
And others embraced greasy gluttony with the death hold of the terminally ill