Cerberus

And Cerberus, that mastiff hound from Hell

Came out of the night to walk the earth.

From each of his three deformed heads

The soul of a demon is given birth.

No knowledge have they of the others

Attached to the same derelict body of sin.

They share the blood, the mercury of life,

But have no recollection of the vessel they’re in.

The first of the heads that leans to the left

Has cataract eyes that foam and weep.

It tries to peer closely, seeking vain truth,

But closes its eyes as if half asleep.

The bloated face on the right claims to know

The innocence or guilt of those near its jaws

And even if given the deft gift of judgment,

This impotent threat defeats its own cause.

By far the most fierce and rabid of all

The head in the middle, towering, looms...

Caustic bile dripping from its vile flesh,

The sight of this creature wakes ghosts from their tombs.

A powerful fear from the heads of all three

Emanates from reeking breath and taints the pure.

The foulest of air asphyxiates the living-

Where is our salvation? Where lies the cure?

Then lo, the angelic embodiment of Truth

Stands face to face with Cerberus the beast.

With three swift flashes of deadly Verity

Injustice is ended, and the nightmares cease.

The evil cur, immortal in the underworld,

Slinks off to find another family to shred.

So long as we have Truth as sword and shield,

Cerberus, the hell-hound, will be as good as dead.