Sins Carnival for the Horsemen

Walk with me down this twisted staircase into Sins Carnival for the Horsemen.

Children play here
In hot sand boxes
The creaking of swings plays on
Like a record skipping absent notes
Till slow motion laughter
Enters your lobe
With sounds of the carnival
As you watch each carousel pony
Mounted by different versions of you
Turn head and say, come and see.

Come and see our world of ash
Of ember
Come and see.

The children play on
Ring around the rosie strikes mind
Loud as nails against chalkboard
Pouring in with images of melting chains
And smells of hot iron
Faces like smeared lead dance circles
In a world that seems to flake away
Like paint chips falling from an old barn
Filling with echoes of their laughter
Repeating the words, come and see.

Come and see our world of ash
Of ember
Come and see.

See your reflection child
In this world of funhouse mirrors,
Taste everything you desire
Simply bite right here
Into this apple that was left
Outside the gates of heaven
The greatest trick, the perfect trap
As gluttony is one of seven
So come and see child
Our world of ash and ember
It's something you'll never forget
Something you'll forever remember.

Author's Note

This is my first crack at short story prose.