Facing Demons

I have walked through the bowels of hell,
And I have talked with the demons that dwell,
Their tongues hissed with boiling salt
And their mouths spewed fire, that did not halt,
With one gesture, they rained brimstone upon me,
And shrouded me in darkness such that I could not see
My own hand in front of my face,
And yet, they did not put me in my place.
In that brief moment, I saw their true form,
And their flies that yearningly swarm,
Awaiting the rotten flesh with which they were accustomed,
So excited, as if they were laudanumed.
No longer were their words dripping with honey,
And feeding into my insecure psyche,
But rather bitter, harsh, and so very sharp,
Utterly filleting me as if I were a carp,
And yet, I am here to tell the tale,
A tale as big, and grand, as a whale,
But nonetheless true in every aspect,
I encountered demons, lacking respect,
I did not falter, was not torn asunder
From their insults, crashing like thunder,
I did not let them see me squirm, they did not win,
I held my ground, seemed unfazed, I held it in,
They raged and they cried, on this wild ride,
A rollercoaster of emotions for them, they did not hide,
They were hurt that I did not show any hurt,
I was as polite as needed to be, but curt,
I would not be their objet d'art,
My teary face upon their mantle, a collection part,
Of the spoils of their bully wars, of each person's mind and heart.
I waited until I could go home and then let it all out,
I will not give them the pleasure of seeing me freak out,
I do not freak out because I can not handle it,
But because it is a new way I have seen it,
Only a temporary surprise, and though it does hurt,
Around the issue, I absolutely refuse to skirt.
I am who I am, I feel what I feel, and I will not be pushed down,
In fact, I choose to rise higher, hiding my frown,
Climbing and climbing this mountain...only to see them drown.