The Obsessive

The Obsessive

A As I descend from the Third Circle
B Off towards the side my guide notices a trail
C filled with shadows chasing after objects aglow

B From afar I can hear the echoes of the spirits wail
C The reason for this sound grief is one I did not know
B My curiosity made me focus on the horrid burning flesh ail

C Virgil then speaks of their sins that cause them woe
D As we walk he says: “The souls here are full of obsession and greed
C unknowingly making themselves their own foe

D Nor do they know that their memory of all except the obsession recedes
E Forced to chase after the main object they solely desire.”
D In a moment I watch his words come true and see a shadow bleed

E While he chases his craving through the path of thorn and fire
F He was able to grasp his desire then let out a piercing cry
E Watching as the thing he held most dearly had a reward that was dire

F Blazes as soon as it was touched the object shows the holder deny
G His hand was engulfed in flames and through his fingers the ashes slowly slip
F The obsessive item then reappears in reach for the sinner to try

G Again I see the downfall of desire causes himself to be whipped
H For he can never get out of the cycle of his blind obsession
G The spirit still bleeds and fades away as he is being physically stripped

H I have seen enough and had my answer of what happens with overly possession
I As we walked through the trail of obsession the same spirit is seen thrice
H Continuously trying to achieve what he can never have; repossession

I Filled with thoughts that are only mentally self enticed
J The shadows chase after a never ending dream that becomes a horrid vision
I Eternally facing the agonizing vice

J As we finally emerge from the Third and a half Circle I made a decision
K Never will I stray from the path that is lit bright
J In the afterlife there are only two choices that are pre-made and the journey to them involves collision


Explanatory Paragraph

The new level of Hell that my Canto would appear in is Three and a half, in between the Third and Fourth Circle. I chose Three and a half because the sin of obsession has characteristics of both Gluttony and Avarice. The sin of obsession is in between the two because it is the half way point that melds parts of being greedy and self-indulgence from the two Circles together to form Circle Three and a half. The nature of the contrapasso reflects how what they desire in life is meaningless if it is solely an obsession over a certain object. The punishment is that the people are forever chasing after their main obsession from their living life through a path full of flames and thorns. Every time they grasp the object they desire within their reach it will be set on fire, burn them, and the object disintegrates into ash. The object will then reappear again in their reach and they will never be able to escape the cycle of chasing after their obsession. The sinner is never allowed to rest which shows how the obsession has taken over their life in Hell as it did in their past human life. The path of flames and thorns represent all of the people involved in their past life that the sinner has pushed aside or hurt because of their obsession. They can never remember anything in their life except the memories of their main obsession.

Samantha Cajilig, Period 7