The Glowing Shadow of Inez by Alaina Hammond

Yours is perhaps my favorite soul 

Of those that live, or merely dwell 

In otherworldly lands. 

You meant to hurt, inflame, control 

And thus your semi-private Hell 

Was written at your hands. 

Your suffering, both just and cruel 

Inspires those who still have form 

To better wield our time. 

You played by your own vicious rule 

So now you burn a little warm. 

Your visage airs sublime. 

There’s beauty in the grand grotesque 

When evil’s not banal, but bright 

Well-crafted and precise. 

Such purity is Inez-esque 

The damned subversion of divine 

Paid at eternal price.

Alaina Hammond is a poet, playwright, fiction writer, and visual artist.