Peter Nyberg

I’m talking a long time about Dante
tells them of hell, purgatory, heaven
about his moral map
When I ask the students to categorize
contemporary morality
in a nine-step deep hell funnel
and like gods
inflict punishment for the culprits
they illuminate and grab their pens

But one student
completely still
does not want to work but
linger when the others go

None of us can describe heaven
but everyone loves to punish
and indulge in torture
What does that say about us?
About you?
Are we more fascinated by evil
because we are accustomed to goodness or
because our own evil is in here?
she says, putting a hand under her throat

I answer
nothing